Frozen: The Snow Queen
by mrjop2
Summary: A new darkness threatens to tear the sisters apart, when Elsa learns that her powers come from a curse. Anna goes on a dangerous journey to find answers for her big sister before Elsa decides to find a way to cure her of this curse that eventually eventually kill everyone in the kingdom. Else will soon be forced to decide whether her powers are a curse, or a blessing.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_NARRATION: _

_The kingdom of Arendelle was one of the most beautiful kingdoms in the land. Rich in natural wonders and spectacular mountain landscapes; their wealth was the envy of many kingdoms. The Prince of Arendelle was a strikingly handsome young man, who was beloved by all the people of the kingdom. He was kind and gentle, and befriended many of the people. There was one young peasant girl that he became close friends with. The peasant woman was attractive, and she instantly fell in love with the young prince. However, he never reciprocated those feelings. To him, she would only be a good friend. _

_Little did the prince know that this peasant woman was actually a sorceress? When she couldn't win his heart, she decided to steal it. Using her dark magic, while the prince was not looking, she cast a love spell on him, to force him to fall in love with her. His heart towards here quickly began to change._

_One day, the prince's parents threw a giant banquet for all the villagers to attend. Diplomatic dignitaries from many other nations were to be present. With the prince's heart now stricken for the sorceress, the prince had all intentions of asking his parents' permission to marry her, but before he had the chance, they introduced him to a beautiful princess from an alley kingdom. Upon seeing her beauty... the spell was broken, and it was love at first sight. Embarrassed and enraged, the deceitful sorceress went into hiding._

_Days turned to months, and soon the word would spread of the coming wedding of the prince and princess. When the sorceress heard of the coming wedding, she vowed revenge on the royal family of Arendelle. It is custom that the people of the kingdom shower the royal newlyweds with gifts, to the best that the can afford. She created a hand mirror. It was beautiful, fit for royalty, but in reality, it was a devil mirror. She cursed it with an icy spell. Upon looking upon her reflection, the princess' heart would freeze. Over time, she would lead the kingdom to an icy grave._

_She disguised herself and attended the wedding banquet. When her turn came up, she presented the mirror to the princess. Before she could look at her reflection, a splinter from the handle pricked her, causing her to drop the mirror. It shattered on the floor. Frantic to save her secret weapon, the sorceress went to pick up the pieces, but she, herself, slashed the palm of her hand upon one of the jagged pieces of glass. _

_The pain caused her to accidently reveal her nature and true self to the prince. Emotionally hurt by the betrayal of his good friend, he and the Royal Family banished the sorceress from Arendelle... forever. _

_The sorceress watched from afar, to see if the splinter would have any effect, but as time went on, the princess, showed no signs. As the years went by, the prince and princess went on, happily, to become the new king and queen. Soon, their first child was born, and they named her Elsa. Three years later, a second daughter was born... Anna. _

_Everything appeared normal until the second child was born. Not long after her birth, Elsa's powers revealed themselves when she went to visit her baby sister, in her crib. She touched the wooden crib, and it turned to ice instantly. Sensing the work of dark magic, the frightened king and queen took their eldest daughter to the trolls. There, they revealed the curse that had been put on the queen. However, the spell had been distorted, and instead of infecting the queen, it infected her first born. They inform the queen, that their daughter's heart would slowly turn to ice, and could grow up to one day destroy their kingdom in snow and ice... unless their love and guidance, can keep her heart warm._


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The People of Arendelle had begun a week of joyous celebration: Princess Anna was getting married this week. It was going to be a week long celebration leading up to the wedding ceremony and the wedding banquet and ball. That was how much the people loved their queen and princess. People were dancing in the streets, decorating their homes, and singing in songs to celebrate this special time. The excitement in the kingdom was electrifying, which only intensified as the first ships arrived full of decorations for the wedding.

There was none more excited about this week than Elsa, the queen of Arendelle. When she received word that the ships have arrived, she threw open the double-doors to her stone balcony. "They're here! Open the gates!"

It had been almost forever since she had ever been this happy. Her life, had been everything but joyous until recently. For the first time in forever, she had a positive outlook in life... and it felt GREAT! She hardly knew how to handle this much joy. For the first time in a long time, she had found herself singing to herself. It was the only way she knew how to express how happy she was.

_(space)_

"_Open the gates, bring out the plates!_

_Joy is in the air, stronger than what I once had thought_

_Jubilation is at full swing, love has brought hope of eternal spring_

_Something that I was sure that I had forgot._

_(space)_

_As this celebration draw nears, I've not seen a hint of my past fears_

_This happiness that's in me continues to grow, with no sign of slowing_

_Cursed by this power, that once forced me to cower_

_Now, I stand tall, with that part of me, forever closing."_

_(space)_

_My sister's getting married; I've never been so excited_

_The bond between us has grown since we've been reunited._

_(space)_

_There is magic in the air_

_In the spring, the flowers bloom; in the fall, the leaves swoon_

_There is magic in the air_

_As sure as the seasons are always changing..._

_This joy, it feels so amazing!_

_Cause_

_There is magic in the air."_

Elsa watched from her stone balcony as the workers started unloading some of the flower arrangements from the ship's, through the gates, and into the town towards the castle. As they made their way closer to the castle, Elsa ran back inside and raced for the main stairwell. Running so fast, she didn't think about how many stairs she had just ran down; for all she knew, there could have been several that she skipped.

She ran for the castle gates, where there were two guards standing there. Upon seeing her reaching the ground level, they threw open the two-story, double, wooden gates. As she ran past the threshold, the first flower arrangements wear arriving to their destination. All around, the people stood aside and watch the decorations come through their town.

"Versa, they're here!"

"Coming, Your Highness, " a soft, airy, slightly panicked voice, within the castle, shouted in reply. A young, burnet came running, awkwardly, outside while fumbling with her checklist. She was the queen's handmaiden, who was also proving to be a very good and trusted adviser. She immediately started checking off all the decorations on the list as they approached.

Three men were bringing the first decoration: a wedding arch covered in white silk from head to toe. Covering every possible inch, except for the feet, were a mixture of white Azaleas and white Lilly flowers, all intertwined with a single vine. At the top of the arch were two gold bells on top of a green and red bow. Elsa thought it was absolutely gorgeous, and it wasn't even the main arch. The main wedding arch was being chiseled out of white marble, here in town.

Following the wedding arch was a man, bringing in the first pot of white lotus flowers with red-fading-into-orange color at the base of the petals. She couldn't resist smelling them as they passed. The smell was heavenly. These were just the beginning, as she made sure to get even rarer and more exotic flowers.

A gentle tug on her icy-blue gown drew Elsa's attention downward. A young eight year old girl stood there, smiling sweetly up at her holding a single, violate flower in her hand. The mother nervously went to pull her little girl away, out of fear of her daughter not having properly addressed the Queen. Elsa smiled, to let the mother know that it was perfectly alright. She knelt down and graciously accepted the little girl's gift. She took it and placed the stem behind her right ear. The girl was elated and ran to her mother's side.

Elsa chuckled as she stood up and made her way back into the castle; Versa had things well under control here. No longer did she make it back inside when she could feel the flower freezing solid. She took it out from behind her hear a looked upon it sorrowfully. She only took a second to mourn; she was too much in a good mood to let this get her down today.

Seeing all the decorations arrive, she became anxious to check on her wedding gift for Anna. She handed the frozen flower to a servant who had happens to be walking by at that very moment. He looked at it with a shocked look on his face before carrying it off.

Elsa raced to a special corridor on the bottom floor. It led to a recently constructed room that she had secretly ordered to be built. She took painstaking effort to keep Anna from knowing about it. When she reached the door, she gently swung it open and turned on the lights.

The lights dimly lit up the room, to reveal a thirty-five foot tall magical ice sculpture of Anna. It was beyond anything Elsa had ever accomplished with her powers. The sculpture was of Anna wearing a long, royal dress. She stood holding her hands in front of her in painstaking vivid detail. Her face was a near perfect replica of Anna's. Her expression was more serious than what the Real Anna usually displayed on her face, but it was a royal sculpture, not a family portrait. The sculpture was made of permanent ice. Inside the Crystal ice sculpture, you could see a a magical, snowy blizzard whirling, keeping the ice frozen. It was almost similar to what she did for Olaf so he didn't melt away, but the storm was inside the sculpture, and not outside, and the storm was much stronger in intensity. The blizzard-like conditions inside was the only thing that prevented the sculpture from melting.

"Uh, Your Highness?" Versa nervously entered the room, with her checklist still in hand. "We kinda have a small problem with the swans. They sorta—kinda—got loose from the owner and now a few of the children are chasing them around town."

It was as if Elsa hadn't even heard her as her focus remained on the sculpture. "Versa, do you really think Anna's going to like this?"

Versa looked up at the ice sculpture. "I think she's going to love it, Your Highness."

I don't know. I've never planned a royal wedding before. I shouldn't be the one doing this; my father should be. I really miss him."

Believe me, Your Highness, this is going to be a wedding that your sister and everyone in the kingdom are never going to forget."

Elsa smiled faintly as she turned toward her handmaiden. "Talking about Anna, have you seen her around, lately?"

"Um, no, Your Highness, I haven't," she replied.

"That's alright, I have a feeling I know where she is," Elsa said. " Oh, and how's the project I gave you coming?"

"Nearly complete, Your Highness," she answered proudly. "I've gotten up to the history of your parents."

Both Elsa and Anna missed their parents terribly. Having lost them three years ago at sea, neither of them ever really got to mourn with each other. They both lost pivotal lifetime memories and life lessons when they died so early and so abruptly. She thought Anna would love this little scrapbook-like gift with all the information about their parents and all those who came before. Completing it with a family tree would be the icing on top of the cake. Oh, only if their parents could be here to enjoy this occasion with them. "Very good."

Elsa turned to make her exit out of the chamber. "And don't fret over the swans. Everything will work out."

* * *

Anna was in the personal library chamber, frantically pacing in a giant circle in the middle of the room. It was the one room, besides the upstairs' corridor, that had the most pictures in one location; most of them were of her parents and their parents before them. This was where she could be alone to talk to her parents. Right now, she needed to talk to them more than ever before.

"What am I going to do, Mom?"

(space)

"_Maybe it's fear, maybe it's not_

_Maybe It's my breakfast starting to turn_

_It feels like my heart is tied in a knot_

_I don't know if it's something of concern_

_(space)_

_It's only a week away; why am I having so much doubt_

_I thought it was love, but now, I'm not so sure_

_I thought I had my life all mapped out_

_Oh, Mom, please tell me there's a cure._

_(space)_

_The day is on the horizon; the tension is rising;_

_The pressure is so great, Dad, I wish you could hear me crying!_

_(space)_

_There is panic in the air_

_My heart is racing and I can't stop myself from pacing_

_There is panic in the air_

_So full of indecision and hesitation..._

_Maybe all I need is a little validation_

_Cause_

_There's panic in the air"_

_(space)_

Anna temporarily ceased her pacing in front of the giant portrait of her parents. Her second form of nervous reflex started up, as she started playing with her right braided ponytail. "Mom... Dad... I really need your advice." She stood there in front of the portrait for a moment, before she looked towards the portrait of her grandfather as if it had called out to her. "But, Papa, how do I know it's true love?"

"Talking to the family again?" Elsa asked entering the chamber.

Spending a lifetime alone, not having anyone to play with or let alone talk to, Anna had picked up a habit of having conversations with the people in pictures. Elsa felt a little guilty about that, because she had to separate herself from her as well. The only reason Anna was forced into seclusion was because she they lived in the same castle. Since they've permanently opened the gates to the castle to the outside world, her habit remained only with the portraits of their parents and grandparents. When Anna and Kristoff became more serious, the amount of time she spent talking to those portraits decreased even more.

"Elsa, I don't feel so good. My heart is beating uncontrollably, I can hardly breathe, and I feel sick to my stomach. I'm hyperventilating! I'm hyperventilating! I think I'm going to throw up! I'm GOING to THROW UP!"

"Anna, calm down. Take a deep breath!" she urged, approaching her baby sister. "You're just a little nervous; everyone goes through this."

"I'm not a coward, take that back!" Anna spun around and snapped.

Elsa stood still, not quite sure if that was meant to be geared towards her or to something that she pretended to hear from one of the portraits. Anna's anger lasted less than five seconds before she moaned and nearly fell into crying. "OH... yes I am! I'm a terrible person!"

"Anna, get a hold of yourself. You're not a terrible person; everyone is nervous when their wedding day approaches. It's perfectly normal."

Anna wasn't convinced. She was more confused than Elsa had ever seen her before. It was probably the side effect of losing both their parents at such a young age. She never had the talk with her mother about love and about boys. She only had the few books she probably read about the topic, and that usually wasn't a good way to learn about this sort of thing. "How can it be normal? If this was true love, then I shouldn't be so nervous! Besides, shouldn't you be saying, 'Anna, a princess should only matter a prince!'?" Anna said, doing a lousy impression of her. "Isn't me marrying him against some kind of royal tradition?"

Elsa raised her right eyebrow and smiled. "Oh no, I'm not going to be responsible in helping you try to coward out of this. Sure, Kristoff is a little brazen, and lacks the royal demeanor, but his heart is just as noble as any prince out there. If you love him, then that's good enough for me."

"But how do I know he's—THE ONE?"

"Well, the way you've been acting is one way," Elsa laughed. "If you weren't nervous, then I would be a little more concerned. Anna, trust me, what you have IS true love. I guarantee you that he is just as nervous as you are."

"Who, Kristoff?" Anna chuckled. "He helped me scale and descend a mountain, fight off an angry pack of wolves, and take on a snow monster. Believe me, nothing scares him."

* * *

"I can't breathe! I can't breathe! Sven, I think I forgot how to breathe!" Kristoff said as he grabbed hold of his reindeer's head and stuck his face into his until his nose nearly touched his snout. The reindeer merely stared back at him with his eyes wide open in puzzlement.

"Maybe it's just me, but I find breathing to be totally overrated," Olaf said, throwing himself into the conversation. "Look at me, I've never breathed a breath, and I'm perfectly happy!"

Kristoff looked down at him with condescending eyes. "That's because you're a snowman."

"So?" Olaf had always been an overjoyed optimist to a point of being a bit annoying a lot of times. His intelligence was a definite handicap, but sometimes he did come up with something helpful. This was NOT one of those times.

"The future prince is not really having problems breathing," The eldest Troll said, as he walked to the young man's side and placed a hand on the leg. His was known simply as Grand Pabbie. Despite how ridiculous Olaf's comments could get, Pabbie always had a calm demeanor about him except for when it came to celebrations; then, he could be just as jubilant as any other stone troll. "Tonight is the shower banquet, and our young Kristoff is experiencing the jitters."

"Wow, that sounds painful? Is it contagious?" Olaf asked, not even noticing Sven, behind him, stick his snout underneath his personal snow cloud and using his tongue to grab and eat the falling snow flakes. It was a special gift Elsa did for him when he began to melt after she thawed the eternal winter she inadvertently started. The little snowman held a special place in the women's hearts since he looked exactly like the snowman they used to build as children before being separated.

"No, silly snowman. All that the young man needs is confidence."

"Confidence? How am I supposed to be confident? I'm not royal, like Anna. We're from two totally different worlds I'm a mountain man, who loves sleeping on the ground or on stacks of hey rather than a bed! I deliver ice blocks! Well, I used to, at least. She deserves to be with a prince. Besides, those tuxedos make me itchy!" Kristoff replied, scratching his thigh. Just thinking about the suit that he had to wear tonight made him uncomfortable.

"Every time you're around her, do you have a desire to see her happy?" an elderly female troll asked, joining Pabbie in the conversation. Her name was Mammie.

"Of course," he replied.

"Are you happy when you're around her?" Pabbie followed up with a question of his own.

"Yes."

"Does her flaws diminish your desire to be with her?" Mammie asked.

"Flaws? No, I wouldn't call them 'flaws' per say."

"Do your flaws cause her to recoil?"

"Again, what flaws?" Kristoff hated it when they pointed out his 'flaws'. It was worse when they did so in front of 'Anna'.

The two elder trolls looked at each other and nodded. "Three out of four isn't that bad."

"Wait, what?"

"Boy, what you have is true love. And when it's true love, nothing else matters. You have already proven that to Anna; now, you must believe it in your heart."

As strange as this whole conversation was, it was doing wonders for his nerves. There was no denying how he felt for her, and it was true... he was willing to deny his own happiness if it would make her happy, but right now, she needed him to be someone who will fight for her heart, not cower. He needed to prove that he could be the man that she needed him to be, and he was not going to let her down. "Actually, that really helps."

"Does that mean you're cured?" Olaf asked. "Hurray, we can have fun at the banquet! I always love a good party!"

"The Banquet!" Kristoff's eyes widen. It was getting late, and the banquet would be starting soon. "We got to go, Sven!"

He jumped on Sven's back and prepared to ride off. Feeling that he was abruptly ending his time with his 'family' he glanced back at the hundreds of trolls that gathered around. "I'll be back soon!"

"And so will I!" Olaf said, waving his right, wooden arm.

As Sven took his first step to begin his run back to Arendelle, Olaf quickly hopped up and grabbed Svens tail. As they stormed away into the forest, the small snowman was laughing as he was flapping in the wind. Mammie and Pabbie waved as they and all the trolls waved farewell to their adopted 'son'. When they were far enough away, the expression on Mammie's face turned grave as she looked at Pabbie. "Did you see the images in his mind?"

The gentle smile on Pabbie's face also turned dark. "I did." Reading images in other people's minds was a power that the kept to themselves; not even Kristoff know that they could see the images of his memories if they so chose. Most of the time, they never used this talent. They've only used it in keeping an eye on the Queen and her condition.

As he turned and walked, the crowds of trolls cleared a path. On the other side of the crowd was a small pond in the ground, with rocks that rimmed around its bank. Mammie followed him to this pond when he waved his hand. On the left side of the pond, an image of Elsa at her coordination ball appeared in the water. On the right, a more recent image of Elsa appeared. In this image, she was ice skating with her people in the court yard that she had turned to ice.

A tiny troll child walked up to the pond to see the two images of the queen of Arendelle. Everyone who could see the pond gasped, and even the child could see the difference between the images. "Her hair is getting whiter!"

Pabbie nodded gently, not pulling his eyes from the images in the water. "Her powers are not leveling off as I had hoped. They're increasing to dangerous levels."

"So the Queen, the Princess, our Kristoff, and everyone in Arendelle are in grave danger?"

"Impossible to tell. I had hoped by erasing Elsa's and her parent's memories, they would be protected, but it appears that I was wrong. The time has come for the truth to be made known."


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The castle was full that night for the banquet and ball. Everyone had arrived, including a few dignitaries from allied countries who decided to come for the entire week of celebration. There wasn't an empty seat in the room. As the time for official start of the banquet had arrived, it was custom for the queen and the princess to be the last one to enter the room so all may show the proper respect.

Elsa was in the royal room, the chamber next to the banquet hall, and was the first one ready. She expected the next one to be Anna, but was surprised when Kristoff entered the room, dressed in his white and gold royal prince suit. As he entered the room, he was tugging at his collar as if it was chocking him. "Wow, you clean up very nice," Elsa said with a chuckle.

"Thank you, Your Highness," Kristoff replied, as he went from tugging at his collar to rolling his shoulders. He really was uncomfortable in that suit. "Is this suit supposed to cut off the blood circulation to my entire body?" It took everything Elsa had not to laugh.

As he fidgeted with his suit, the sound of footsteps tapping echoed into the room. They looked up at the top of the staircase to see Anna nervously walking down. The moment Kristoff looked up at her, his jaw dropped, and his eyes were instantly glued to her. She wore a beautiful sparkling green ball gown. The green skirt nearly skimmed the floor. The glittering designs looked like ocean waves curling in random directions. A black, silk, gown belt wrapped around her waist and formed a large bow behind her. The gown was strapless, and was completed with lighter green wedding gloves which went up just shy of her elbows and was laced with crystals forming an exotic design. For the first time that Kristoff could remember, she wore large diamond earrings and a royal diamond necklace with a green jewel in the middle. Her hair was braided into a bun behind her head. Her face looked like had gone through at least hours of beautification with make up; the bluish-green eye shadow on her eyelids were impossible to ignore.

As she reached the halfway point of the staircase, she noticed them staring at her. She quickly reached behind her head and fiddled with her bun. "What? Did my hair come loose?"

"Whoa!" Was the only thing Kristoff could think of saying. He was completely at a loss for words.

"You look stunning," Elsa said proudly.

When she realized that nothing was out of place, she finished her way down the steps. Kristoff raced to meet her at the bottom step where he took her hand down the final step. "You look beautiful!"

"Thank you," Her pale, freckled cheeks turned red. She managed a faint smile before her nervous look returned.

He noticed her nervousness almost immediately. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know. After being lonely in this castle for so long, I thought I would enjoy this more. I don't know why I feel so nervous." Having been locked in the castle with no one to talk to but the paintings, she had always been hungry for the gates to be open. When they WERE open, she became overexcited about finally being able to meet new people and perhaps find true love. Of course, that led to her engagement to a prince after knowing him only for a half a day. That was an action that was done more out of fear of being locked away again, not out of true love. The stone trolls helped her understand that.

Now, the gates were permanently open, and she was no longer the lonely girl secluded in the tower. She could have all the fellowship and attention she wanted; she even found that true love that she had desired. Tonight, ALL the focus and attention was on her as the Princess of Arendelle who was getting married. She didn't know if she was that comfortable with THAT MUCH attention on her.

"Uh, Your Highness?" Versa nervously peered into the room from the banquet hall. When Elsa didn't show any signs of anger of being interrupted, she cautiously entered the room and closed the door behind her.

"What is it, Versa?" Elsa asked.

She made her way towards the queen so she could talk to her in private. "Your Highness, we really need to talk about what I found out while working on the project. I found something, very alarming."

"We'll talk about it tomorrow," Elsa replied, holding up a hand. "We have a large crowd of hungry people waiting for us."

Elsa walked up to Anna and Kristoff. Anna couldn't help notice the nervous look on Versa's face. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything is great. Let's not keep the people waiting."

* * *

The Banquet Hall was one of the biggest rooms in the castle, and the most colorful as well. There were three crystal chandlers that lit up the entire room. There were three banquet tables set up. One small one for royal family placed horizontally at the end of the room, and two very long tables, vertical to the royal table to form a U-shape. These two tables stretched as far as the room did. The right table had visiting national dignitaries from other kingdoms and nations where were there for the whole week. The other table had people from the town who have been screened and accepted by the queen.

Versa sat closest to the royal table on the left banquet table. Upon rejection of her request to speak with the queen, she had no choice but to take her seat, now that she, the princess, and the future prince of Arendelle were ready to enter the room. Everyone was now standing on their feet as one of the workers began to introduce the royal family. "Now entering... Queen Elsa, queen of Arendelle!

Elsa entered the room with a smile on her face. There was a respectful round of controlled applause that lasted until she had taken her seat in the first of three spots at the royal table. "Now entering... Princess Anna and Sir Kristoff: the future prince of Arendelle."

Anna and Kristoff walked through the doors and into the room and stopped almost immediately. Every eye was towards them. Many people gasped at how beautiful the princess looked. Some of the eyes were also on Kristoff. Here was a man that was just like all of them: A commoner with no royal blood in his veins. The people approved him, and were more than willing to accept him as prince. After all, he had saved her life.

Feeling the eyes of everyone in the room, his suit felt like it was starting to choke him again. "This is a little awkward." Kristoff was costumed to being ignored. He was never a people person. In fact, he never really liked people at all. He had been happy being alone with Sven, and limiting human contact to the times where he just delivered blocks of ice. He never imagined how things would change so quickly.

"Totally," Anna agreed. Yes, she was a princess, but she was never brought up very princess-like. She was not used to wearing royal gowns. She never had that chance to learn about royal traditions and how to act like a princess. She had been secluded from the people of the town, and before she had the chance to learn all of that, her parents were lost at sea. Versa had helped her learn many of things she needed to know.

The two of them continued to their seats at the table. Anna sat down next to her sister, and Kristoff sat on the side of Anna. Now that the royalty had taken their seats, everyone was allowed to sit down and the food to be served.

Versa could not get the information out of her head. What she discovered, the queen needed to know as soon as possible. As the butlers, waiters, and waitresses started handing out the plates, her attention was drawn towards the queen's hair. The queen always had a very light blonde hair, but as of recently, Versa noticed the streaks of white hair. The color difference was so minimal, that it was quite easy to miss, but she saw it. As the queen conversed with Anna, Versa watched as more strands of hair magically faded to white.

After seeing the change with her own eyes, she knew that this news could not wait until tomorrow. She discreetly slid her chair back and cautiously approached the Queen, crouching down, trying to limit any attention she might bring. "You're Highness, I really have to speak with you. I don't think this can wait," She whispered.

Elsa raised an eyebrow out of annoyance. "Not now, Versa!" She whispered back. "This is my sister's time. Please, take your seat."

She did as ordered, and discretely took her seat. Telling the queen during the banquet was not going to happen, but she couldn't give up. She had to be made aware of what she discovered, and the fact that her hair was turning white, only validated what she found and the importance of it.

* * *

Everyone had eaten, and now, the ball had begun. Everyone moved to the ballroom. There were couples already dancing on the polished wood floors, and those that were not dancing enjoyed conversations. Elsa never danced, and it wasn't because she was the queen. Dancing still concerned her because it took human contact, and with her powers, dancing could be something she may never enjoy. She didn't mind though; she enjoyed watching her little sister stumbled her way through the dance floor. She also spent time talking to some of the royal dignitaries from other countries and some of the towns people.

Kristoff was standing on the platform with Elsa watching as Anna was dancing with everyone but him. He couldn't help but get a little flustered over it. Granted, he wasn't a great dancer, but she was still HIS bride to be. Elsa stood there, and couldn't help but see his frustration. "Relax, it's tradition for the princess to dance with some of the national dignitaries and men of the town."

"Sure, I'm relaxed," he replied, tugging at his collar.

They watched as Anna danced with another diplomat who had asked to dance with her. She accepted, and as they danced, it wasn't long before she accidentally stepped on his toes. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" she gasped.

Having seen the incident, which by Kristoff's count made five in the last hour, couldn't suppress a smile. "Well, that makes me feel a little better."

Elsa chuckled. "She's never been very light on her feet."

As Anna continued to dance with other dignitaries, Kristoff found himself getting bored. Occasionally, he had to talk to a dignitary, but he got the feeling that they didn't view him the same way the people did. The people of the town were very eager to meet him.

"So, how have your dancing lessons gone?" Elsa asked.

"Okay, I suppose. Why?"

"Because you're next."

Anna had completed her dance and looked towards Kristoff with a warm smile on her face. He made his way to her. "May I have this dance?"

"Yes, you may, fine gentleman." He took her right hand in his left, and put his right hand on her back, just as he had learned to do in his lessons. Her left hand went up to his shoulder and the two of them began to dance. "So, are there any toes left you haven't stepped on?"

"Ha ha," Anna said, returning his playful sarcasm.

Elsa watched them danced, only to, once again, be interrupted by Versa. "Your Highness, I beg your indulgence, but this may be very important."

"Versa! Do you even know how to have fun, anymore?" Elsa said, slightly emphasizing the annoyance in her voice.

"You're Highness, haven't you noticed that your hair is getting whiter?"

"My hair?" Elsa had a very light-blond hair, which was not normal in the family. Her father had brown hair and her mother had more of a brownish-red hair. Anna had a reddish hair with a streak of blonde due to the accident as a child where Elsa blasted her in the head with a frost blast. No one in the family had blonde hair, so it wasn't too much of a stretch to assume that her hair was this color because of her powers.

As of late, she'd been feeling as if these powers were getting stronger; there would have been no way she could have created that ice sculpture if they hadn't. She hadn't truly lost control of her powers since learning how to manage them, but there have been an increasing number of times it felt like she was at war against herself. She'd been keeping this to herself, so not even Versa or Anna knew, but this battle within her had only been getting worse. If what Versa was saying was true, perhaps her secret war raging in herself wasn't so secret as she had thought.

"Your Highness, this is your father's journal. You need to read this," she handed her a book.

"Journal? I never knew my parents had a journal?" She took the diary in her hand and held it almost in reverence. There was no describing the feeling of holding something so personal that belonged to her father. These were his very own thoughts and words, most she probably never heard before. She looked up towards Anna who continued to dance with Kristoff. This discovery would mean even more to her baby sister.

"I found it hidden in the library. It ends abruptly, shortly after the princess was born. It was as if he forgot that he owned the journal." Versa said in way that told Elsa that this was puzzle that she couldn't solve. "It's the very last post that you need to read."

She couldn't help but be a little nervous about reading it. It would be like the voice from the dead coming back to life. Working up the courage, she opened it up to the final entry and commenced reading it. It was an emotional read, to say the least. It was written shortly after Anna was born. It appeared that there was ANOTHER time that she had accidentally killed Anna. She nearly froze Anna's crib with her still in it. She didn't know what was more starting: the fact that she nearly froze her to death in the crib, or the fact that she didn't remember it ever happening.

The more she read, the more unnerved she became. Deeply entrenched in the read, Elsa didn't realize that it started to flurry over her head. Versa noticed it and quickly backed away from her. It was then she realized that perhaps having her read it in front of this many people was probably a bad idea. The flurry was quickly intensifying. When she read the last two lines, she was in sudden shock. The flurry overhead disappeared and large, jagged icicles shot up from the ground in a small radius around her.

She suddenly realized that her powers had escaped her control for a brief second and when she saw what she did, she also notice the stunned looks on everyone's face. None were more stunned than Anna's. Else closed the journal, and cleared her throat as she tried to collect herself. "My apologies. Please excuse me." She made her way out of the ballroom.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The moment the doors to the ballroom slammed shut, she hugged her father's journal to her chest as she ran down several corridors until she arrived at the throne room. This was where the main throne was, but she also found solace here because of the portraits of past kings and queens that were in there, including her favorite portrait of her father at HIS coronation.

Slamming the door shut, she only kept the room dimly lit so she could see, and perhaps keep those on the outside from knowing that she was inside. She needed to be alone, especially in this emotional state that she was in. She had the whole run to think about what she had just learned, and a growing part of her was furious.

She tried to calm herself by using the journal almost like a security blanket, but it wasn't helping. Walking to the throne, she gave one last attempt and just glared down at this priceless treasure in her arms. She put the book on the seat of the throne and turned away just in time as a wave of rage inexplicably overtook her. She violently waved her right arm, and seven ice spears made of nothing but sharp icicles shot out like spears and pierced the ground. Breathing heavily, there was a sparkle of an icy-blue glow radiating from her eyes for a few seconds before they returned to normal. Her rage was gone just like that. She couldn't explain why she was angry; as disturbing as the news was, it wasn't anything that would normally get her angry.

The fact that her rage happened only confirmed what she read about, while it explained the struggle that's been going on inside of her. And the worst thing was: she couldn't help but feel that she was destined to fail her parents. And if she's predestined to fail, then she already had.

Elsa looked up at the portrait of her father hanging on the wall.

(space)

_All of my life, I have worked hard to strive_

_To be the good little girl that I was always raised to be_

_Walking a thin line, teetering on the edge of fear _

_All I have ever wanted was just to be free_

_(space)_

_But a war wages in me, and I feel myself losing control_

_I can't help feel like I am losing my soul_

_(space)_

_Is there a way through this darkness_

_Can I escape the storm that rises_

_Can anyone stop this uncertainty _

_I just can't contain this anxiety._

_(space)_

_Must I be the one... the one who breaks your heart_

_And watch it all just fall apart!_

_Must I be the one... to watch your kingdom fall_

_Must I be the one... to disappoint you one last time_

_Don't know if my heart can withstand this crime._

_Must I be the one... to allow all these things to befall_

_Must I be the one_

_(space)_

_So full of feeling that I must keep inside_

_Or else this raging storm will come crashing down on me_

_Yet, as I feel my heart, in me, grow colder_

_I feel an uncontrollable rage burning to break free_

_(space)_

_Must I be the one... the one who will watch the world burn_

_And smolder to the point of no return!_

_Must I be the one... to unleash this curse upon the land_

_Must I be the one... to disappoint you one last time_

_(space)_

_There's too much at stake to just give in_

_Emotions continue to boil deep within_

_Is there hope, any hope left in me at all_

_Is there something, in me, that I can enthrall_

_(space)_

_Can I be the one... the one who stands and make you proud_

_And fulfilled all the she had once vowed._

_Can I be the one... the one who rules with wisdom and love_

_That flies high in the sky like a dove_

_Can I be the one... the one with a heart warmer than the sun_

_Can I be the one..._

_Can I be the one..._

_Can I be THAT one..._

_Must I be the one_

_(space)_

"Elsa?" Anna called, sticking her head into the room. The first thing she saw, entering the room, was the ice spears piercing the floors. Walking carefully around the ice, she slowly approached her older sister, who was sitting on the throne platform step.

Elsa refused look up. "Anna, please stay away. It's not safe..."

"No," Anna replied forcefully. She had never spoken with such force before, and it instantly caught Elsa's attention. "You've tried protecting me by keeping me at arm's length, but I think we've determined that that doesn't work... for either of us. Things only got better when you let me in. Elsa, please, let me in!"

Elsa sighed, and looked away. It was hard to keep what she was going through from Elsa, but it was even harder to open up to her. Three times, she had nearly killed her sister because she had lost control of her powers; letting her in was something that went against every grain of her fiber. It was hard to flip off that over-protective-sister switch in her psyche. "Versa found Dad's journal hidden in the library chamber." She pointed to the large book on the seat of her throne.

"Whoa, Dad had a journal?" Anna said excitedly as she raced to pick up the book, but once it was in her arms, she showed the same kind of nerves about opening it Elsa had.

"I read the final entry in the book. It would appear that I WASN'T born with these powers like Mom and Dad said."

"What?" Anna opened the book to the last journal entry and read through it.

"My powers are a result of a curse."

"Oh... ok... uh... we don't know that for certain. It appears Dad didn't know for sure."

Elsa stood to her feet and slowly walked to the window, with her arms folded in front of her as if she was feeling a little chilly. "There was always a part of me that knew, but to have this nagging feeling confirmed..."

Anna closed the book and returned it back onto the seat of the throw. "Okay, so what if this is a curse? You've got this thing licked! You've learned how to control it." She went to try to put a comforting hand on her back, but Elsa was quick to step aside to avoid being touched.

"It's not that easy, Anna," Elsa replied. She didn't want her to know of the war that was still raging in her heart. The last thing she wanted was to worry her younger sister. Even now, she felt a very intense freezing sensation from her chest and with it a desire to vent out feelings she never knew she had. She may have found control of her powers, but for some reason, it was getting harder to control her emotions; she suspected that this curse had something to do with that. "You have no idea what it's like."

Anna was looking curiously towards her, knowing that her older sister was holding back information from her. Yet, she had to look at this as the first step of an improved sisterly relationship. Some old habits were going to be hard to kill. "Whatever you're worried about, we'll get through this together. If you're that concerned about it, let's go talk to Grand Pabbie."

Perhaps it was a little frustration towards the trolls for deceiving her, but she really had no desire to go see them. Maybe it was fear of what they would say. One thing was sure; she couldn't allow Anna to give up her life just so she can always be there for her. Elsa would never forgive herself if that happened. This wedding was going to usher a new life for her baby sister; she was not going to allow that to be ruined. "No, I've been dealing with this on my own this long, and will continue to do so. You've got your own life starting, now. I'm not going to ask you to spend the rest of your life taking care of me."

"Elsa..."

"No!" Elsa said firmly. The firmness in her voice wasn't nearly as startling to Anna as was seeing a slight icy glow in her eyes when she said it. Elsa quickly regained her composure and that icy glow disappeared. "I'm sorry. This week is for you, and I'll have nothing stand in the way it. As long as you are happy, then I will be happy, and everything will be fine. So please, go back to the ball and enjoy yourself. Allow me some time to get my emotions in check."

Anna knew that she could not push her sister anymore. There was no doubt, now, that there was more that was not being told. As much as her sister tried to sound like herself after that small outburst, there was something very icy about her. Whether it was brought on by the revelation from their father's journal or not, something was wrong with Elsa.

She couldn't blame her about the fear she was now feeling. That journal entry rocked Anna as much as it did her. To find out that some witch had possibly tried to curse their mother, only to have the curse be redirected towards Elsa was a very disturbing thought. Their father seemed to believe that Elsa's powers emanated from that moment in the time, but he wasn't completely sure. He was going to go somewhere to get some answers, but that was where the next page in the journal came into play. THERE WAS NO PAGE! It looked like the page had been torn from the book, so she had no idea who her parents went to. She had to assume it was the trolls, but Grand Pabbie had been so adamant in claiming that Elsa was born with these powers, and not cursed with them. Something did not add up, and Anna could not accept not knowing the truth. If Elsa was not willing to seek out the truth, then she was going to have to do it for her. She could not be happy unless she knew, without a doubt, that her sister would be alright.

"Okay," Anna said reluctantly and remorsefully exited out of the chamber. As soon as she closed the door behind her, she ran as fast as she could in her high-heel dress slippers. She had nearly slipped and knocked over a priceless stone head statue on the way, but she had managed to regain her balance. As she approached the ball room, there were a handful of people outside the chamber reminiscing amongst themselves. One of the castle workers opened the door for her. She ran into the ballroom and found Kristoff talking to some of the people in the room.

When he saw her entering the room, he was quick to rush to meet her. "How's the queen?"

"Kristoff, we've got to go see Grand Pabbie."

"What? Right now? What's going on, Anna?"

Anna didn't know where to begin. She was so worried for her sister, that it was hard for her to get one coherent and complete thought across her mind. "I've got questions that need answering. I think Elsa may be in trouble."


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Kristoff could not imagine what the problem could possibly be, but even he knew that the two of them could not just sneak out of a ball that was in their honor. Anna did not want her sister to know, so it made even less sense to do so. They would have to bide their time, let the rest of the night play out, and then when everyone else had gone to bed, sneak out to visit his 'family'. Anna could not, or would not, speak of what had her so concerned until they were alone on their journey.

At the late hours, the ball had officially come to an end, though for Anna, it appeared to be over much earlier. As much as she tried to feign being the cheerful, optimistic bride-to-be, her heart was just not into the celebration. When the lights were off through most of the castle, Anna snuck out of the Princess' chamber. She tip toed through the corridor towards the main stairwell.

"Hey Anna, where are you going?" Olaf startled Anna, with his loud question and appearing out of nowhere.

Anna squealed, as she grabbed her after receiving the scare. "Olaf, You scared me! Shush!" she rebuked in a whisper, using hand signals to further stress the point. "Kristoff and I are sneaking out to go see Grand Pabbie and the trolls."

"Oh really! I just love hanging out with those guys!" Olaf shouted, dancing on his little snowballs of feet.

Anna clenched her teeth in fear of someone hearing Olaf and again waved her arms to silence him. "Be quiet! This is supposed to be a secret."

"Oh, a secret trip!" he said even more excitedly, but this time managed to finally get the point and whisper his excitement. "So why the secret?"

She looked down the other side of the corridor towards the Queen's chamber. "I don't want my sister to know. It's kind of a like a surprise gift for her."

"Of course, silly me!" Olaf laughed softly. "It's your wedding! Of course it's custom for the bride-to-be to buy gifts for everyone! Oh, I'm not supposed to know that, am I? I promise to be surprised when you get me my gift."

Anna smiled and shook her head. Once again, he got his logic a little mixed up, but she wasn't going to correct it, not now at least. Satisfied that she had feed enough of the snowman's curiosity, she ran down the master stairwell only to have Olaf follow close to her heels. "Olaf, where are you going?"

"I thought we were going to see the Fam? Why, did you already go without me?"

She let out a soft sigh. There was no choice but to take him along with them. "Oh, Kristoff is going to like this. Oh, ok, come on, let's go."

Anna and Olaf sneaked out of the castle and made their way to the stable. There, Kristoff had prepared the Sven and the Sled for their trip to visit the trolls. She could hear him having his imagined conversations with Sven as they reached the stable. She quietly entered through the stable doors.

Kristoff looked up, having just finished hooking Sven up to the Sled when he saw Olaf following close behind her. "So much for keeping this a secret."

Olaf laughed as he walked up to him as if he had a secret to tell him. "Don't worry about, I told Anna that I'd act surprise when you two give me wedding gift."

"Wha?" He looked over to Anna for an explanation on what the funny little snowman was talking about. She shrugged as to say '_just roll with it.'_

"Just to say: I so hope it's a red scarf! I don't know why, by maybe a little more color would complete me." Olaf hobbled over to Sven who looked at him with upbeat eyes. He put his two tiny wooden hands on his large snout. "Hey's Sven! I got your nose! I got your nose!"

"Don't do that," Kristoff said dryly. He was very fond of his reindeer, and he didn't like anyone messing with him. It took awhile for him to warm up to Anna fussing with him. He was much slower in accepting Olaf's fussing with him. After all, Sven was more than just a reindeer; he was trusted companion who deserves a little respect. It drove him crazy whenever someone tried talking to his companion in baby talk; it was like he was being insulted as well.

"I got your nose! I got..." Sven couldn't resist the temptation any longer. He grabbed Olaf's carrot nose and with his teeth, and sucked it into his mouth. Olaf gasped in horror as the reindeer smirked at the stunned snowman.

Kristoff sighed, knowing this was going to be a long trip, now that Olaf was going with them." Sven, give him back his nose."

Sven appeared to had full intentions of doing so anyway, as he gently put the carrot back on the snowman's face where it belonged. Once again giddy, Olaf laughed. "You're such a silly reindeer!"

"So much for a quiet trip," Kristoff said looking towards Anna.

She returned his complaint with a look of light rebuke on her face. "Be nice."

* * *

The Sled had been outfitted to be able to slide without snow, since the snowy season was still a month or two away. However, it proved to be very tricky to leave the castle and out of the surrounding town without making too much noise. Once they made it to the grassy mountains, the trip became a breeze.

With life now behind them, Kristoff managed to get Anna to tell him why they needed to make this trip at this late in the night. She filled him in about what happened after she ran after her sister. "Wow," was the first thing he could think about saying after hearing the whole story. "I have to admit, I'm not TOO surprised to hear this. I mean, no one just wakes up with these magical powers out of thin air."

"I suppose," Anna replied."But still, to learn it this way was very unsettling, and to learn that our parents lied to us..."

"I see," Kristoff said solemnly. "I can see how that would hurt."

"It does, but that's not important right now. I think there's something wrong with Elsa... I mean REALLY wrong. I looked into her eyes and I saw... emptiness."

"Emptiness?"

It was like Anna was reliving that moment and the look on her face clearly showed that she was and had been unnerved. "For that briefest second, there was nothing but coldness in her eyes."

Kristoff didn't know what to say. There was no way for him to really to gauge the seriousness of the situation. Anna knew her sister the best, and if she felt something was wrong, then he was all the confident that the situation was just as bad as she feared. He wanted to assure her that everything would work out, but the truth was that he couldn't. He couldn't assure that Grand Pabbie could do anything but explain what was happening. Right now, she probably already knew all that, but just needed to hear him say things would be okay. "I'm sure Grand Pabbie can do something."

* * *

After an hour of the journey, they had finally arrived. Stopping the Sled early, Kristoff climbed off the Sled first, and like the perfect gentleman, he took her hand and helped her down. Olaf didn't need help of any sorts. He leaped out of the back of the Sled and ran ahead in excitement. Kristoff and Anna held hands as they followed the jolly little snow man over the small hill. Down below were hundreds of multi-sized boulders in an area that looked more like the ruins of an old stone temple that the forest had overtaken.

Olaf already started talking to one of the boulders. Anna wondered if he could tell which boulder was which troll. Kristoff knew just by the shape and size, and she always marveled about that. She couldn't come close to doing the same. As they got farther into the heart of the area, the boulders came to life and became trolls that were no more than a foot tall. Everyone one was ecstatic and celebratory as they surrounded them. "Kristoff's back!"

Most of the trolls were so identically similar, that it was impossible for Anna to tell them apart. The only one that really stood out among them was Grand Pabbie. One final stone came rolling towards the two of them, and the rest of the trolls split up to make room for the elder. He revealed himself from his rock state and wobbled towards them. He went right towards Anna. "Princess Anna, it is so good to see you again, and looking quite healthy."

Anna smiled down. "Thank you, Grand Pabbie! I wish I could say this was just a social visit, but..."

"But something's happened," He replied as if he had expected something to have happen by now. "It just so happens, I've wanted to talk to you as well.

Anna described everything that had happened that night, and Grand Pabbie listened intently, but show no signs of being surprised by anything that she said. When she finished telling her story, the elder troll simply nodded. "It's as I feared then. The curse is growing."

"I thought Elsa was born with these powers," Anna replied. Elsa said that their parents told her that, but she had no memories of any of it. Her own memories were removed by Grand Pabbie when she was a child, so she only had her sister's comments to go on.

"I've had to erase your parents and your sister's memories in order to get them to believe this. Have I known that he had written of these events, I would have tried to take the book. Your parents brought Elsa to us when you were just born. That was when her powers first manifested. Your father told me about a witch and what she tried to do with a mirror. I knew right then that he was talking about a devil's mirror."

"What's a devil's mirror?" Kristoff asked.

"It is form of curse meant to freeze the heart slowly. Somehow, the curse got transferred to the first born instead of the mother." Grand Pabbie replied.

Anna couldn't believe that someone would actually try to hurt her parents in this way. She looked to Kristoff who sat beside her. Seeing the distress in her eyes, he grabbed and gently held her hand. "This is so surreal," she said barely over a whisper.

"I had no choice to remove the memories of the witch and our first encounter in order to convince Elsa that this was NOT a curse. I knew if she ever believed that she was cursed, it would only make it impossible for her to control those powers. And until now, it seemed to have worked. At first it was your parent's guidance that helped her keep the curse at bay, and then it became the love you two share. However, now that she has learned the truth, I fear that the curse will only speed up now."

"But she's controlling her powers," Anna replied, praying that she found some way to disprove what she was hearing. She had just gotten her sister back, she wasn't willing to lose her now.

"Yes, true love thaws, but self-depreciation and self-loathing are the quickest paths to a frozen heart. You cannot have true love if you have disdain for yourself."

"So Elsa is going to turn to ice, like..." Anna couldn't finish that thought. The memory of what happened to her was not something she cared to dwell on. Knowing that it might happen to her sister was even worse.

"No, it's different for someone who is cursed. She will not turn to ice, but she will become cold and heartless. There will be love in her heart. She will cease being the woman you know, and will become an ice witch."

"An ice witch?" Kristoff heard stories from the other ice masters and pickers that he had occasionally worked for. It was a popular folk lore among the men about an ice witch, with the powers to bring eternal winters on the land. Though the witch was supposedly very beautiful, she was known to be very cruel. He had always just dismissed is as a child's fairy tale. He never told Anna these stories due to fear that it was an insult of her sister. Now, after hearing this, he didn't know what to think.

"Nothing is for certain, but if she can't hold back the curse, she could bring destruction upon the land, and would not be able to tell the difference between friend and foe."

Upon hearing that, Anna needed support from Kristoff more than ever. To think that her sister can become a monster like that... it was worse than the other possible outcome of Elsa turning into ice. Anna found herself trembling and unable to stop herself. Kristoff continued to hold her hand with one hand, and placed his other on her back, hoping she could find some comfort with his touch. "Is there anything you can do?"

"This curse is beyond my ability to cure," Grand Pabbie replied with a shrug. "This is a battle that only your sister can fight."


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Anna's head was still spinning by everything Grand Pabbie had revealed to her last night. The worst thing about it was: knowing that there was nothing she could do, directly, to help. It appeared that all she was going to be able to do, was to be there with her sister, and try to keep her happy. Giving up on Elsa was the farthest thing from her mind; she had always been an optimist, probably even to a fault. Maybe she could help her sister overcome the demons inside of her.

As Elsa had her blindfolded and leading her to something that she was excited to show her, her fears for her sister was placed on hold. Elsa was so happy about this wedding; Anna wondered if she had only imagined what she had seen in her eyes the night before. Perhaps her imagination was playing a trick on her. There was no way someone this happy could be in as perilous of a situation as Grand Pabbie had described.

"Elsa, where are you taking me?" Anna asked. She knew that they were outside; she could feel the warmness of the sun on the right side of her face. She could safely guess that she had been taken through the courtyard by the firmness of the ground beneath her seat and the clapping of her shoes on the stones. Besides that, she had no clue where she was being taken; it was amazing how being blinded affected one's sense of directions.

"We're almost there!" her sister replied. Anna waited and followed where she was led. When they finally arrived, Anna could hardly contain her excitement. "Okay, you can look."

Anna took off the blindfold and couldn't help but gasp. They were standing on the edge of the royal garden, which was in the middle of being transformed. The red carpet had been rolled down the center of the garden, and at the end of it was a stone marble wedding arch with highly detailed designs carved into it. The gardeners were hard at work planting some of the most exotic looking flowers Anna had ever seen. The white chairs were starting to be lined up on the grass, being positioned with the best possible view of the arch. All the trees and brushes were perfectly trimmed. "An outdoor wedding?"

Anna had expected to have the ceremony in the same chapel Elsa had her coronation. She never imagined her special day becoming this immense of an occasion. "A day like this deserves more than a simple service in the castle's chapel room."

"This is beautiful!" Anna said, still in shock over everything that her sister was doing for her wedding. This was far beyond anything she ever imagined her wedding to be like.

"It's not done yet, there's still a lot of work to be done, but I figured after a lifetime of living with the gates closed, you deserved a wedding that is totally in the open."

Anna's eyes swelled up and without thinking, she found herself quickly embracing her older sister. "Thank you!"

* * *

Versa was busy at work, directing a new wave of wedding decoration deliveries. As the decorations entered the gates and into the courtyard, she told the men where to put them. If they needed to be protected from the elements, they were to be taken into a room where the can be taken care of until the day of the wedding. If they were sturdier decorations, then they could be placed outside so the gardeners could immediately put them where they needed to go.

Enjoying himself, was Olaf. Preserved by his own personal snow cloud over his head all year around, he was ecstatic when the exotic flowers started arriving. He hobbled along and enjoyed the smell of each batch of new flowers. "Oh, I just love the smell of flowers. It gets me so excited for next spring!"

Versa raised an eyebrow towards the snowman. She was already overwhelmed by the speed the decorations were coming to the castle; having to worry about a tiny snowman getting in the way was the last thing she really needed at that point. "Olaf, I know you really like to smell the flowers, but I really need to get this done."

Olaf was so entranced with all the flowers, he didn't her request. He simply bounced towards a series of baskets of Blue Hydrangeas. Chuckling, he took a long sniff of the beautiful blue flowers. No longer did he sniff those flowers before he exploded with a giant sneeze. The sneeze caused his carrot nose to launch from his snowy face. The carrot hit the ground and rolled right into the path of one of the two workers bringing in a wooden wedding arch. The worker stepped on it, and fell backwards, pulling his leg of the arc with him.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" Versa freaked out!

Elsa and Anna, hearing Versa's squeal, quickly made ran to the courtyard, in the front of the castle. As soon as they turned the corner, they could only watch the mayhem unfold. The worker who slipped on the carrot, pulled the wood wedding arch downward. The man on the other side of the arch couldn't keep it from falling, as he lost his grip of his leg. Olaf picked up his carrot nose and placed it back on his face, unaware of what was happening. He walked aware, of the continuing chaos that he had inadvertently caused.

Another worker who was pulling a wooden wheel barrel full of flowers did not see the falling arch in time to avoid it. All he could do was leap out of the way to protect himself. The arch collapsed onto the wheelbarrow, knocking the flowers onto the ground while severing the wheel from the rest of the wheelbarrow.

Anna covered her mouth and chuckled. Yes, this was a probably a wedding ceremony disaster playing out, but she couldn't help but see the humor in it as well. Elsa, on the hand, wasn't so amused. She continued to gasp as the cost continued to mount up. This was a disaster of epic proportions. To her, this was putting a huge stain on what she had hoped to be a perfect wedding. Versa was beside herself, freaking out with every moment that played out.

The severed wheel rolled speedily across the pass of a couple of workers who were in a group of at least ten toting a medium size clay statuette. They nearly tripped which caused the whole group struggling to keep hold of it. Finally the balance had gotten so out of whack, it fell to the ground, and the arm of statuette snapped.

Elsa gasped and ran to the broken statuette. She had it imported all the way from France, and now it was nothing more than garbage. She knelt down and picked up the arm. "No!"

"Oh, Your Highness, I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" Versa squealed, holding her chest as if trying to keep her heart from pounding its way out of her chest.

Elsa was so shocked, she almost forgot how to talk. She couldn't take her eyes off the ruined statuette. Anna walked up to her side, to see how bad the damage was. Before she could say anything, Elsa finally spoke. "What have you done?"

"I'm so sorry, Your Highness. I'll find a way to fix this, somehow!"

"It's perfectly alright, it was just a..."

Anna went to ease her nerves but was abruptly cut off by her sister. "What have you done, Versa?"

Versa recoiled, and her eyes clearly showed the fear that had come over her. A dark cloud started to form over the castle and the temperature began to plummet. Snowflakes began to flurry down. Anna stepped closer to her sister, knowing that she had to calm her down quickly. "Elsa, it's alright, it was just accident."

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" Elsa's voice echoed everywhere, as she stomped her foot and swung her fists downward. As her foot slammed on the stone, the ground froze around her and ice spears shot up around the queen. Elsa and Anna had to leap back to avoid being impaled.

Versa stumbled on her feet, and fell to the ground. She looked up into the queen's glowing eyes, which rained down rage and hatred back down on her. Her attention was quickly drawn to Elsa's hair as a good portion of it turned pure white before her eyes. Now, more than half of her hair was white as the snow that was falling from the sky.

Anna found a way through the ice spears and raced to her older sister, who was quickly loosing herself to the anger. "Elsa, please! Calm d... OW!"

She placed a hand on Elsa's bare shoulders and it was cold, it almost felt like she had just burned her hand on copper stove. She backed away and cradles her hand. Elsa's swung her head towards Anna as if she perceived her to be another threat, but as soon as she saw her little sister nursing her hand, the icy glow in her eyes vanished again. The rage vanished just as quickly, leaving her shocked by her own actions. "I—I'm sorry. Excuse me, I—I..."

"Elsa, wait! I'm okay. The pain's already gone!"

Elsa was already too far to hear her. She ran straight for the gates of the castle, amongst the sounds of her own sobbing. She ran inside and up the master stairwell. She headed straight for her chamber, and made sure to slam it shut behind her. Out of breath, she leaned up against her dresser. The looks of Anna and Versa were instilled on her mind. Once again, she was hurting the people that she loved, and she didn't know why.

She looked up at the mirror, to see if her outer appearance matched how she felt on the inside. Instead of finding her own reflection, what she saw rattled her to the core. It was her, but her hair was icy blue. Her skin was white as snow and even had a layer of frost on it. Her eyes were like ice; they were full of hatred and empty on emotions. It was an image so terrifying, she threw a spray of ice, causing the mirror to shatter. She fell to her knees and the emotions, which she had fought hard to hold in, came bursting out of her like a raging river.

* * *

Anna Helped Versa to her feet, who was fighting losing battle holding back her tears. "This is not your fault. Elsa... hasn't been herself lately."

"I know," Versa said with a sniffle. "I'm so sorry, my Princess. How's your hand?"

She looked at the palm of her hand. The pain was long gone, with no lasting scars or marks. "Oh, it's fine; don't you worry about me. You've done so much for me and my sister since our parents died. I think of you as a good friend."

That put a smile on Versa's face. "Thank you, my Princess. I feel the same way."

"What is happening around here? All of the sudden, it started snowing... and it's only September!" Kristoff asked, entering the courtyard. He looked around at the broken statuette and spilled flowers. He then saw the sheet of ice and ice spears sticking up from the ground. "Oh."

"I think of you as a friend to, my princess. That's why I have a confession to make," Versa said. She reached into a pocket in her dress and pulled out two folded pieces of paper. She solemnly handed them to Anna.

"What are these?" Anna asked as she unfolded one of the sheets.

"They're the missing pages from your father's journal."

Anna's eyes widen as she read through the rest of her father's final entry. There wasn't much left, but what was remaining made Anna excited. Seeing Anna's change of emotions had gotten his curiosity peeking. "What does it say?"

"It says that Dad was seeking TWO possible sources for a cure for Elsa!"

"Two? " Kristoff didn't seem convinced of this news.

As Anna unfolded the second piece of paper, Versa tried to fill Kristoff in with everything she knew from the 'missing' pages. "It doesn't give much detail, but it appears that your parents knew of a second possible location where he was thinking about taking Queen Elsa to search for a cure."

"And look, here's a map!" Anna said excitedly.

She unfolded the map so everyone could see it. It was a very detailed map of the region. Arendelle was the heart of the map. From the map, there were two black dotted lines departing the town. The first one led to a Red 'X' to a very familiar territory to both Kristoff and Anna, and it was the shortest distance on the map. "This is where my family is," Kristoff acknowledged.

The second dotted line on the map followed an eastern path up the mountains and to the farthest point on the map where the red 'X' was. "It makes sense why Dad never sought out this second source. His memory was erased... he forgot about this journal and he forgot about this map! Now that I have this, WE can go here and maybe even find a cure! Versa, why did you rip these pages from the journal?"

Versa frowned and pointed to the second red 'X'. "This is why I tore those pages. This is located in the Eastern Mountains. You're already making plans on going there, and I don't want you to get hurt. I ripped those pages out to protect you, my Princess."

"She's got a point," Kristoff replied. "These are the Eastern Mountain; the most dangerous mountain range in the area. The altitude is so high, it snows there all year around; the terrain is so harsh, it's almost uninhabitable. I've heard of several fellow Ice delivers try going up these mountain, and they were never heard from again. It's definitely not a place for Princess."

"This is where a possible cure is for my sister," Anna replied sternly.

"Your Highness, please, it's too dangerous for you." Versa pleaded "Send out someone else; the captain of the guard, maybe. Arendelle can't afford to lose you." She did not show her this map now so she could go off and get herself killed. She was only showing it now because of the situation the queen was now in. She knew by showing her the map, it would be a calculated risk that she would not take her advice and go anyway. She had to make the best case possible and try to convince her to send someone else. If this curse hadn't been getting worse by the day, she would more than likely have kept this map hidden. To go to these mountains were almost suicide.

Kristoff put a hand on Anna's shoulder, trying to get her to see reason. "She's right. You need to stay here, and be with the queen. I'll go to the mountains and see what's up there."

"If you're going, then I'm going to," Anna said firmly.

"Anna, you sister needs you; the people of Arendelle need you. They don't need me. I'm going there alone."

Anna tried to stand to his level by stretching and standing on her toes. "I need you!" She replied firmly. "I'm going with you to those mountains, and there's nothing anyone's going to say to change my mind."

Kristoff sighed, knowing that he was never going to win this battle. If he kept on pushing the matter, she was more than likely going to do something very stupid to get herself killed. He looked over to Versa, and she looked broken hearted in defeat. "Yes, my Princess."

Seeing the concern on her face, Anna took her hand and cupped it between both of hers. "I promise I'll be fine. I've got the best mountain man taking me there," She said, smiling wryly back at Kristoff. "I need you to promise me that you won't tell Elsa about this."

This request seemed to bring inner conflict in Versa, who didn't want to make such a promise because she wanted to take whatever actions she had to, to assure Anna's safety. But with her back up against the wall, she didn't have much of choice. "I promise."


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

There was a rising anxiety inside of Anna. She would be fooling herself if she didn't admit that there was a part of her that was nervous. She rushed into her last journey blindly, and never realized the danger that was in the wild. Kristoff was convinced that this journey was going to be worse, but here she was again, rushing into another life threatening journey anyway.

The way she saw it, she had no other choice. Elsa probably would never think about going, herself. First of all, she would never admit to herself how dire her circumstance actually was. Second, Anna feared that her transformation would be made complete in the middle of the journey. Besides, there was no guarantee that this journey would pan out. If Elsa got her hopes up only to have it dashed again, that could set off the transformation in of itself. Anna would rather go and find out the truth before telling her anything.

Sven was already hooked up to the sled. Kristoff was finishing up packing the sled with everything they might need to climb the snowy mountains. She waited there with Sven and the sled while he was gathering the last of the supplies. The friendly reindeer was nudging her arm, asking for attention. With a pleasant smile on her face, she was more than willing to give him some. She scratched his furry scalp, in between his two large antlers. He grunted and moaned, fluttering his eyes in pure enjoyment.

(space)

_I'm preparing for the journey ahead_

_Trouble is brewing, that's all the incentive I need_

_There is no choice but to take action now_

_(space)_

_So pull out the reindeer; pull out the sled_

_In order to stop destiny, there's no choice but to succeed_

_But the problem is that I don't know how_

_(space)_

_My heart's pounding with questions abounding_

_But my resolve has never been so strong_

_(space)_

_I'm climbing to the mountain top_

_Nothing is going to stand in my way_

_I'm pushing through my hopes and fears_

_No more regrets and no more tears_

_Adrenalin unending_

_Confidence undying_

_Gravity defying_

_Character defining _

_I'm climbing to the mountain top_

_Nothing is going to lead me astray_

_(space)_

_Too much fear; too much misunderstanding_

_I never thought these days would ever come back again_

_I thought I left all of this behind me_

_(space)_

_The mountain ahead is so commanding_

_A task so grim, it's rarely tried by the bravest men_

_It's time to break the shackles and run free_

_(space)_

_I'm climbing to the mountain top_

_Nothing is going to keep me away_

_The journey's long, but I don't care _

_Let danger give all that it may dare_

_(space)_

"Let it come!"

(space)

_I'm climbing to the mountain top_

_No more consenting and no more delay_

_Let the barriers come tumbling down_

_I can't stop 'til the answer is found_

_Adrenalin unending_

_Confidence undying_

_Gravity defying_

_Character defining _

_Excitement supplying_

_Destiny complying_

_I'm climbing to the mountain top_

_And there's no way I'm ever turning back_

_(space)_

"This should do it," Kristoff said, putting a final satchel in the back of the sled.

Anna looked inside the sled at all the satchels he put piled up. "You would think we were moving to the mountains or something."

"The first rule when you climb a mountain that's trying to kill you... prepare for anything!"

"You mean they actually have a book on this kind of stuff?" Anna grinned playfully.

The look on her face clearly showed that she was playing with him. Never the less, he felt compelled to make sure she was ready for this perilous journey. "Mock me if you may, but last time, I lost my sled taking you to the North Mountain. I would like to prevent that from happening again, if you don't mind."

"Hey, my sister and I replaced it! I even picked out the new Lute that I broke!" Anna pouted.

Kristoff grinned, enjoying teasing her about the day they first met. If you thought it was love at first sight, you'd be wrong. It wasn't really hate at first sight, either, but knowing that she was the princess, he definitely enjoyed pulling her chain just a little. After all, she was a princess, and he wasn't; she was also engaged to be married to a prince. She was so out of his league, he really didn't even try to charm her all that much. Besides, he had been happy being a bachelor up to that point. There was something about Anna that made him want to change his entire lifestyle, as drastic as it was. As much as he didn't care for wearing his formal prince suit, or even being called a prince, he was willing to put up with it just to see Anna happy. She must have some magical qualities, like her sister, to get him to change so much. "And that gift is just a special to me than the sled."

That caused Anna's face to turn red. He always had a way to remind her how much she loved him. He wasn't nearly as rough, and brazen has many mountain men were; he definitely had a soft side. And though, he had been very anti-social towards most people, she saw something no one else did. She saw the sensitive side to him.

Kristoff turned to the sled to do a final inventory. "Let me see if we have everything. We have a rope, an ax, blankets, food, water, a lantern, some wood for burning..." His eyes were quickly drawn to Olaf who had sneaked into the back of the sled with all the stuff. He waved his right hand when he finally noticed him. "And a pesky little snow man."

"Olaf?" Anna wasn't upset to see him, just merely surprised. He always seemed to know when she and Kristoff were getting ready for a journey. He may not be the smartest snowman in many ways, he was pretty knowledgeable in others.

"So, where are we off to now? Are we off to see the fam again!"

"Please don't call them that," Kristoff said dryly. "And is it so much to ask for just one quiet trip?"

Olaf looked up at him with a blank look on his face until he answered. "Yeah, why?"

"Maybe it's a good thing for him to tag along?"

"Oh come on," Kristoff protested. "He's going to slow us down! This trip is going to be dangerous enough fighting the elements."

"He did prove quite helpful the last time, and besides... he's made of SNOW! We're going to a snowy mountain. What happened to Mr. Be-prepared-for-anything?"

He sighed, as he knew that there was going to be no winning this argument. He had to concede the fact that the little snowman did prove more than helpful two years ago. He had helped them find Anna's sister on the North Mountain. He also played a big part in helping to save Anna's life. He may have a personality that slightly clashed with his, but Kristoff could not question his ability to be there when it really counted. "Alright, he can come, but we really need to leave now; we need to get as far as we can before we lose the daylight."

* * *

Elsa was done sulking and feeling sorry for herself; she didn't have the luxury of time for it. The wedding was still quickly approaching, and there was still too much work to be done. Upon breaking out of her emotional state, she regained control of her powers, and brought an end to the early season flurry that she had inadvertently set off.

More decorations were being delivered, and more dignitaries from other nations and kingdoms were arriving today, and the last thing she needed was for everyone to fear a repeat of her coronation. After leaving her chamber, she found Versa still directing all the deliveries. She was the first she apologized too. As awkward as that moment was, she was glad that all was forgiven and forgotten. The next thing she wanted to do was to find Anna and apologize to her. "Versa, have you seen Anna around?"

Versa looked up at her and shrugged. "No, Your Highness. I've been so focused on this, I have no idea where she may be."

Elsa nodded sorrowfully. It would have made her feel better if she could apologize right away and see if Anna's hand was alright. Perhaps she and Kristoff were off getting away from the craziness of the castle, and had gone off for some alone time. No matter, there was always tonight.

One of her workers solemnly approached her. "Your Highness, the Princess and prince of the kingdom of Corona have arrived."

This was exciting news. Anna had met the Princess of Corona two years ago at Elsa coronation celebration. Since then, the two of them had become very good friends. They were so similar, it was almost funny. There weren't many dignitaries who fond of a royal princess marrying a 'commoner', but this Princess was all for true love. In fact, she had fallen in love and married someone who was not of royal lineage as well. Elsa had no doubt that this common factor would only strengthen their friendships.

"Thank you. Please inform Princess Rapunzel that Anna isn't here at the present moment, but she is very excited that she's here, and will meet up with her as soon as she can."

"Yes, Your Highness."

* * *

The sun was quickly setting after a long day's journey. They were just starting to enter the snow region, so the temperature had plummeted. Anna had to put on her hooded shawl with the frigid weather now upon them. Just entering this part of the journey was the perfect spot to take a break and set up camp. Kristoff had built a fire for the two of them to keep warm, while Olaf stayed a safe distance away by hanging out with Sven. The gentle snowman had agreed to stand guard for the night, to allow the two of them to catch some sleep. Somehow, though, Anna suspected that Kristoff was going to keep one eye open. Somehow, she sensed that Olaf keeping guard did nothing to ease his fears.

As they were sitting around the fire, Anna was warming her gloved hands by the fire. She suddenly realized that she had forgotten something very important that she should have remembered before going on the journey. The memory was like electricity coursing through her body, and it nearly caused her to jump to her feet. Startled by the sudden jump of Anna, Kristoff's first fear was that something was physically wrong with her. "Anna, what's wrong?"

"I can't believe I forgot it's today!"

"What's today?"

"Rapunzel and Eugene were coming today... and I wasn't there to welcome them!" She crossed her arms across her chest and shivered not out of being cold, but out of fear. "She's never going to forgive me."

"You worry too much," Kristoff grinned. "Come and keep warm. Princess Rapunzel, above anyone else, will understand why you had to do this."

"You think so?" She asked as she reluctantly sat down again by the fire.

"No doubt in my mind," he replied. "You know, of all the royal couples that I've had to meet, Prince Eugene and Princess Rapunzel are the only ones who I feel comfortable around. They seemed to me the most down to earth royal couple I've ever met."

Anna grinned. "Remind me to tell you the story of how they met."

Kristoff stood up and walked over to the sled. He scavenged through his supplies and pulled out some blankets and some pillows. "We shouldn't stay in one place for very long, so I think it would be best if we tried to get a few hours of sleep. Night time is not safe to stay stationary for too long."

Anna accepted the blanket and pillow. She laid one blanket onto the barely snow covered ground, as close to the fire as she dared. Lying down, she used her other blanket to cover herself from the flurry that gently drizzled down on them. Placing her head on her pillow, she was convinced that she wasn't going to get much sleep. Her mind was racing with the worries that she was carrying on her shoulder. They were the worries of not just missing her close friend from the kingdom of Corona, but of Elsa as well.

Anna rolled onto her other side to glance over at Kristoff on the other side of the fire. He was attempting to catch some sleep as well or at least wanted her to think so. That was just as well, because she wanted him to think she was sleeping too. She rolled back around and fought against her mind who were trying to keep her awake with all of the fears that in her. Soon, she won the battle, and drifted off to sleep.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

A whole day had come and gone and Elsa hadn't heard a word from Anna. Now, she was starting to get concerned. None of the staff had seen her all day. It was now late at night, and everyone was now asleep, everyone except for Elsa; she was on a mission to find her sister.

At first, she thought that they had gone off for some alone time or went to visit with the trolls. Then, a part of her feared that Anna was avoiding her out of fear. Now, she didn't know what to believe; it wasn't like her to vanish without a trace.

She made her way towards the Princess' chamber. At this late hour, Anna should be fast asleep in her bed, but at this point, Elsa didn't care. She would rather wake her up and make sure she was safe. Standing in front of the large wooden doors, she gently tapped on the door and waited to be invited in. No such invitation came.

She quietly pushed the right door open and peeked inside the dark room. Anna's bed remained undisturbed, and her chamber remained lifeless. There was no sign that she had been there the entire day. Now, Elsa's nerves were even more on edge. Her sister's disappearance may not have anything to do with visiting the trolls or being upset with her; she could be in serious trouble.

She rushed back down the main upstairs corridor, and made her way for Kristoff's chamber. She stood before the door, feeling a little awkward about knocking on his door. As uncomfortable as it was, she had to find out if he knew where Anna was. She knocked on his door cautiously. "Kristoff, are you awake?"

When no reply came, she mustered up the strength to open the door and look inside. Just like Anna's room, his room was untouched since the maids had done their work. There was a part of Elsa that felt a tiny bit better; if he was gone too, then they were together, and less likely to be in danger. However, this was not the final place she had to check. From what Anna had told her, Kristoff was known to sneak out to the stalls and sleep in the hay besides his reindeer. He still was not used to being civil, and occasionally missed sleeping outside rather than on a bed.

Elsa made her way downstairs and outside to the royal stable. This was where Sven stayed, along with her's and her sister's horses. She lit up a lantern and entered inside. Her horse, Cyphus was asleep in his stall. Anna's horse, in the next stall over, was also fast asleep. However, Sven was missing from his stall, as well as Kristoff's sled at the far end of the stable.

Elsa knew that they had indeed gone on a trip, but was it to the trolls? Why were they not back yet? Snuffing out the flame in the lantern and putting it away, she made her way back into the castle, now more confused than ever. Deep in thought, she slowly ascended the master staircase to the second level. She was about to make her way back to her quarters when she saw Versa in her nightgown walking around. When she saw Elsa coming up the steps, she met her at the top. "Your Highness, is something wrong?"

"Versa, I'm getting very worried. No one has seen or heard from Anna all day, and both she and Kristoff are missing." Elsa saw a concerned look on her face, but there was another look mixed in her facial expressions that made her think that her handmaiden had more information about their whereabouts than she was letting on. "You know something, don't you?"

The expression on her face quickly turned to panic. "No, Your Highness! I don't know anything."

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "You've never really been that good at lying. Out with it."

She could see a conflict waging inside of Versa. She knew that Anna had forced her to promise not to say anything, and that told her that she was not going to like what she was about to hear. Versa was usually good at keeping a promise, but this was one promise Elsa was going to force her to break. She was her queen, and at this moment, was speaking as such. "Please forgive me, Your Highness! She made me promise not to tell you. Please don't be upset with me!"

"Versa, please tell me where my sister is."

Her handmaiden looked like a volcano. The pressure became so much, the truth exploded out of her as did her words . "She went to the Eastern Mountains."

"The Eastern Mountains!" The news was worst than she imagined. Those mountains were extremely dangerous. What could her little sister be thinking? What could Kristoff be thinking taking her there? "Why would she and Kristoff go there?"

"Please, Your Highness, I tried to talk them out of going! I really did!" she pleaded as if she was on trial for her life.

"Calm down, and tell me what's in the Eastern Mountains."

She fought against her nerves and tried to calm herself down. "Anna is searching for a possible cure for your curse."

That bit of information was like a sword to her heart. It all stemmed from her losing her temper earlier in the day. Once again, she had put her sister in harm's way, and all she was doing was looking out for her well-being. "This is all my fault." She gasped. "Versa, go find the Captain of the Guard and have him report to me in my throne room, immediately!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" she said, and quickly turned and ran off to do as commanded.

Elsa turned around and headed back down to the main level. Her mind was racing with fears of what kind of things might happen on that mountain. What was she thinking going up those mountains? The weather conditions were brutal, and the mountains were highly prone to avalanches. The blizzards on those mountains often dumped several feet of snow per day, especially during this time of the year.

She reached the bottom level, and went straight for the throne room. There she paced around until the Captain finally entered the room. "Your majesty, how might I serve you?"

"Captain, please find the most experienced mountain climber you can find, and take your best men to the Eastern Mountains. I fear my sister might be in trouble there, and please hurry!"

"Right away, Your Majesty!"

* * *

Grand Pabbie was very restless, that night. None of the other trolls had ever seen him this anxious before. He refused to turn himself into his rock form, which was how they usually slept. Mammie only watched as he stood in front of the small pond. The other trolls were fast asleep, and those who weren't didn't feel like they should disturb him.

After watching him for awhile, Mammie decided that it was time to find out why he was so restless. She hobbled towards him, followed by a couple other trolls who were just as curious as she was about the situation. "What do you see? Is Kristoff in—danger?"

"I sense great danger in the Eastern Mountains. I believe that not only is Kristoff in danger, but the queen, her sister, and everyone in these lands."

She and the two other trolls behind her were both stunned by the sudden turn of events. No one had sensed anything that was out of the ordinary, but none of their senses were honed as well as Grand Pabbie. If he had seen a vision of coming calamity, then you could rest assure that it was going to happen. "What can be done?"

Grand Pabbie turned towards her with a look on his face that told Mammie that he was going to say something that will not settle well with many of them. "I'm afraid there is no choice... I must go to the Eastern Mountains."

She looked at the two other trolls behind her, and they were all just now realizing how serious this was. No troll had ever left home before. Not one had ever left this wooded utopia of theirs; they were content to being secluded from all other life, and rarely took risks of being seen by unwanted prying eyes. To risk this much, there had to be something very wrong in the land.

* * *

Anna struggled with keeping her eyes open as the journey continued. Daybreak had come, but the sun was nowhere to be seen. Instead, snow was raining down hard over their heads. The temperature had dropped even further, forcing her to put the hood of her shawl up.

The journey was longer than she had anticipated; mostly because the deteriorating weather condition was slowing things down. By now, Elsa would have found out that she and Kristoff were no longer in Arendelle. She only hoped Versa was able to keep this journey a secret, but she had a nagging feeling that Elsa was going to force it out of her sooner rather than later. Perhaps if she returned with good news, her sister would forgive her.

Olaf, who was sitting in the back with the supplies, was quickly getting bored. Both Anna and Kristoff were not talking, and on a long journey like that, silence was not something he enjoyed that much. "So, are we there yet?"

At the reigns of the sled, his eyes narrowed in frustration. "For the tenth time, we'll get there when we get there."

Resting her eyelids, Anna grinned. She tried not to show it, but she got a kick out of how much Olaf tend to annoy him. She knew that, deep down inside, he liked the little snowman, but he wasn't going to show it to anyone.

"Where are we going, anyway? I don't think ever been here before?"

"There's nothing around us but white snow; how can you possibly know where you are or aren't?" he returned.

Anna opened her eyes as she thought about how to answer the inquisitive snowman. Perhaps now that there was no need to keep a secret from anyone, she could answer him truthfully. "We're going to the Eastern Mountains."

Olaf gasped. "The Eastern Mountains! Never heard of them. So what's there?"

Anna's expression on her face changed to a more serious, and solemn look. "A cure—I hope."

"Why? Are you sick?"

"Not me—Elsa," She replied, her mood quickly turning into depression. "She's very sick, and maybe there is a cure somewhere in the Eastern Mountains."

"Ah, it's your wedding gift to her! What an incredible gift!" he replied in awe. "This is going to be the best wedding ever!"

Kristoff shook his head and leaned in towards Anna to whisper. "Somebody's got to set him straight."

Anna grinned. She had purposely not set Olaf straight on wedding traditions for this very reason. She enjoyed seeing Kristoff squirm whenever the little snowman confuses something. For some reason, the mountain man had some kind of quirk when it came to the truth. It was hard for him to hear misinformation and not try to set it straight. She had to step in a few times when Kristoff encountered a young kid in the kingdom, who was too young to know better. It was one of his idiosyncrasies he acquired from living most of his life without human contact. Perhaps the trolls were a stickler for honesty and truth. That was something she still wondered about. "Let him be."

Kristoff sighed, and was going to protest, but his mountain man skills had alerted him of danger. He was focused on his surroundings, and a quick glance brought to his attention the darker clouds up ahead. "Olaf, you better toss up some blankets."

"Why, what's wrong?" Anna asked, sitting up straight.

"We're about to be hit with a giant blizzard."


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The captain of the guard and a large group of his best men had pushed on through the night and made up a lot of ground thanks to their guide. He was a volunteer from the town's people, who said that he was an expert mountain climber and hunter. His tracking skills had proven quite invaluable to the progress they've already made.

He successfully led them to the site where the princess and her suitor had camped out. They found the fire pit that the falling show had partly hid. He determined where they slept and even knew about how long ago they were last there. The captain could not have been happier about how much he had already proven useful.

"They went that way!" The guide pointed straight ahead.

"Excellent, let's keep up the pace, men!" the captain shouted.

"Captain, the temperature is dropping and the wind is picking up. I fear that they are heading straight into a blizzard."

This news was completely unwelcomed, but not totally unexpected. This was the season for severer blizzards in this region. It was for this very reason the queen had sent him and his men to rescue the princess. There was no turning back without her. At least, the storm could possibly slow her down so he and his men could catch up to her. The problem was that the storm was an extreme danger for not just her, but for him and his men as well. "You heard him men; we have no time to lose."

* * *

The wind was violent and uncompassionate. Anna was crouching as much as she could, but the wind still continued to pound mercilessly on her. The blanket did only so much to keep her warm. Olaf, in the back, was doing his best not to be blown away. He ducked behind the front seats as low as he could, but even then it was becoming a struggle.

Kristoff had no choice but to endure the stinging of the wind. His face was completely covered, except his eyes, by his hat and a scarf wrapped around his mouth and nose. The wind battered the side of the sled, threatening to push it off course. Poor Sven was giving it everything he had trying to push through the storm.

"The storm is getting worse," Kristoff's muffled voice came from behind the scarf. "We have to turn back!"

Hearing what he said was hard enough when he was speaking behind a scarf, and the howling of the wind only made things worse, but she heard enough to know what he was suggesting. "No! We can't give up now! Elsa's life depends on it!"

"You can't save your sister if you're dead!"

"I, for one, am definitely for turning back," Olaf commented. His carrot nose started to blow away, but managed to catch it and stick it back in its proper place.

Anna didn't want to turn back; there was a part of her that would rather die than turn back. Elsa meant the world to her, and this was the only way to save her. To give up now, would be like giving up on her sister; it just wasn't something she could get herself to do. At the same time, the last thing she wanted was to bring Kristoff into a perilous situation with her.

She was getting ready to respond when the two of them noticed the wind beginning to die down, and the falling snow slowed down. Visibility increased slightly as if the storm was taking a break from its constant pounding on them. Kristoff looked all around, puzzled by the sudden change. To his left, a giant mountain, reaching as high as their eyes could see, towered over them. "That's strange. Perhaps the mountain is shielding us from the wind?"

Anna shrugged, as she stared up at the mountain. "Wow, that's a very tall mountain! It's very beautiful, too, with all the snow covering it!"

He Looked up at the mountain top and had to admit that it was a very beautiful sight. It was, at least, until he noticed a crack in the snow. Soon, the sound of thunder echoed from the top of the mountain as the snow on the entire side of the mountain began to slide down. It was an avalanche!

"Not good! RUN SVEN!" He shouted.

The Reindeer looked up to see what was coming down the mountain, and immediately pushed himself as hard as he could to pull the sled out of the path of the tumbling snow. The sudden jerk of the sled forced Anna to grab hold of Kristoff's arm. She immediately felt the intensity in his arm and the rest of his body. That told her everything she needed to know about the situation.

"Here, take the reins!" Kristoff inadvertently shoved the leather straps into her chest. She grasped at the reins as he spun around in his seat and leaned over to scavenge through the supplies. It proved to be more challenging with Olaf always getting in the way. "Olaf, move it!"

Olaf fought against the G-forces just to stay in the sled, which became much harder when Kristoff had to shove him out of the way. From amongst the supplies, he finally found what he was looking for: a rope and his pickax. Turning back around, he threw the rope around his shoulder and put the pickax on his lap. He took the reins back from Anna, who was more than glad to give them back to him.

Anna looked up, and the amount of snow rolling down the mountain had nearly doubled as it raced down the mountain at top speed. She found herself grasping at her chest; she had to remind herself to breath or else the avalanche was the last thing she was going to have to worry about. "Hurry Sven!"

The thundering roar echoed louder and louder, as mountain of snow sped down the mountain at top speed. Anna's arms were shaking as she again grasped at his arm. "Uh, Kristoff..."

The wind started to pick up again, and this time, Olaf could not fight it any longer. The wind picked the little snowman up, right out of the sled, and separated him into three segmented snowballs. "Uh oh, I think I'm flying away!"

"Olaf!" Anna squealed, momentarily fearing for his safety. It then dawned on her, that no matter how often the wind blew him away, he always managed to come back together. As she had tried to catch him, the map was ripped from her person. She didn't even have the chance to make a grab for it before it was carried away. "The map!"

Kristoff didn't notice Olaf's untimely departure or the loosing of the map; his focus, right now, was solely on surviving. He was franticly looking for anything that could increase their odds. Up ahead, there was possibly something might fit the bill, but he was quickly losing confidence that they were going to be able to make it there before they were overrun. Even if they did, there was no way Sven would survive, not when he was busy pulling Anna, himself, and all the supplies. There was only one way to give Sven a fighting chance to survive.

"Sven, no matter what happens, just RUN!" He shouted as he stood up and raised his pickax.

Anna realized what he was about to do, and quickly became alarmed. "What are you doing?"

"I'm saving his life!" He replied. He brought the ax down upon the ropes that had Sven harnessed to the sled, severing it in one swing. The sled instantly slowed to a crawl as Sven picked up lightning speed. It took only a few seconds for him to disappear in the white haze.

Kristoff turned to Anna, and taking her by the arm, he pulled her up onto her feet. "Anna, JUMP!"

They jumped out together, holding hands. They landed in the snow as the sled came to a complete stop. Before she knew what was happening, he was pulling her along behind him, running as fast as they could. She had no idea why they had to abandon the sled, because there was no way they were going to outrun the avalanche on foot. Within seconds, the chill of the preceding mounds of snow hit them, and a few seconds after that... the avalanche came crashing down on the trail.

* * *

The storm had slowed them down tremendously, but the captain would not allow it to stop them. His men pushed on with the same determination as he did. They all loved the princess and would do anything to bring her home safely, even if it meant marching through several feet of snow in a blinding blizzard.

Despite the falling snow covering the tracks that they were following, their guide was still able to tell which direction she and her suitor had gone. He led them down a path which followed one of the tallest points of the mountains. If this was the way the princess had come, there was no other direction for them to go but straight. This gave the captain some confidence that they were still making progress through the storm.

The storm appeared to be in its final leg, as the winds had drastically died down and the snow had slowed to a flurry. The captain had assumed that this favorable turn of events would allow them to pick up the pace again, but instead the guide raised up a hand to bring the party to a halt. "Find something?" He asked the guide.

"We need to tread carefully. An avalanche had recently swept over this trail."

"The sound of thunder we heard; that was an avalanche?"

The guide didn't need to answer; his eyes were all the confirmation he needed. That unspoken confirmation brought with it a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach. What if the princess had been caught in the avalanche? Were they too late?

"Captain, there's no telling how much snow has fallen, or how compact it may be. I suggest that no more than five of us go by foot and scout the area before we risk riding the horses through this."

"Agreed," The captain used his right hand to motion for three of his men to come with them.

The Guide ventured first and dared to take the first few steps forward. Instantly the snow gave way under his weight, and he sunk into the snow up to his ankles. Fortunately, that was as deep as he would sink as it seemed to do fairly well holding his weight. The captain and his men soon joined him and spread out to test as much of the path as they could.

They carefully explored the area as they tested the snow piles for any soft spots. All the captain could do, at that point, was pray that the Princess had not been caught in this mess. That hope, was severely put to the test when he heard one of his men call out to him. "Captain! I found something!"

He rushed towards the guard who had called for his attention, forgetting about his surroundings. When he got there, his worst fears were being realized. His guard had found a black, wooden blank with golden details; there was no doubt that it came from the sled.

"I also found this!" He said, holding up a snow covered green hooded shawl. It belonged to the Princess.

His heart sank, as he didn't need the help of the guide to translate what this evidence was saying. As if he really needed a final confirmation, he noticed a sheet of paper being carried by the breeze. He reached up and grabbed as it floated near him. He unfolded it to see a full-colored map. There were two trails labeled on the map, and one of them would have taken the princess this very direction.

He looked up at his men, who were all now coming to the same conclusion. Their heads dropped as the mood of the search party had sunk into depression. They sole mission was to come to the rescue of the princess and bring her back safely; it was a task now mired in failure.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The journey home for the captain was not the joyous occasion that he had hoped for. In fact, he was dreading it. He had the unpleasant duty of giving the queen the bad news about her sister. He had the entire journey to come up with the easiest way to pass on the news, but no matter what he came up with, nothing would dull the news that he had to present. There was just no easy way to tell anyone that their sister was killed in an avalanche.

They were now back in Arendelle and nearing the gates of the castle. The shroud of gloom was thick amongst him and his men. Many of the villagers had no idea what they had been up to, and it was probably for the best. The atmosphere of this town was going to go from festive to mournful in a matter of hours. These people were excited about the wedding of Princess Anna, but now... there was not going to be a wedding. Now, they would have to endure another heart breaking funeral, probably more sorrowful than the one they had for the former King and Queen.

He sent the rest of his men away to go mourn in the best way they saw fit; he was going to deliver the news himself. His preparing himself to address the queen personally, but the Queen's handmaiden, Versa, had encountered him first when he entered the castle. She, too, was not going to like this what he had to say. She was more than just a plain handmaiden to the queen and princess; she was like part of the family. He wasn't surprised in the least that she would want to know before the queen, and perhaps that was for the best. Perhaps it was better for the Queen to know the truth from someone she was close to.

"Captain, where's..." She was looking all around him, wondering why she wasn't following him into the castle. Her eyes were then drawn to the wooden plank, the green Shawl, and the map in his hands. He presented them to here with a mournful shake of his head. She covered her mouth with her hands, trying to hide the gasp. "No!"

Her eyes instantly watered, which quickly began to stream down her rosy cheeks. She gently took the shawl and held it in reverence. Her jaw began to quiver, as it took every ounce of strength she had not to break down and weep before the captain. "Oh Anna," She held the shawl up to her face and rubbed her gently across the face, as if trying feel her presence one last time. Instead, it only made her want to break out crying even more.

Realizing that the captain was watching, she regained her composure and accepted the rest of the items in his arms. "I will inform the queen."

The captain nodded, daring not to open his mouth out of fear that his voice might crack and openly display his broken heart. He turned around and excused himself to go somewhere he could be free to show his emotions without anyone seeing.

* * *

Versa could not get herself to report the news immediately to the Queen. She needed some time to herself to mourn and get her emotions in control before she could even think about telling her the news. When she was able to accomplish that, she set forth to the main Throne Room where the queen waited anxiously for her sister's return. As she approached the twin doors, she held the wooden plank, Anna's shawl, and the map in her arms. Her nerves were on end, as she realized that she was about to break Elsa's heart. That meant, she was going to lose control of her powers. She had to be very careful and be ready to run out of the room upon first sign of icing. For the sake of the people of Arendelle, Versa prayed that the Queen could control the powers enough so not to cover the town with another blizzard.

She slowly and cautiously opened the left side door and peered into the room. Elsa was sitting on her throne, looking to the right. Her mind was busy elsewhere. Versa ventured inside the throne room and slowly stepped towards the throne. The Queen was so distracted by her thoughts, that she didn't notice her in the room until she was half way to the throne.

When she finally saw her, she jumped to her feet, hoping to hear that her sister had been found and was safely back in Arendelle. With no more time to prepare for what was to come, she commenced telling her the WHOLE story. The Queen's look of hope quickly turned to shock. The walls and floor started freezing and ice spears started sticking out of the walls and all around the queen as she crossed her arms across her chest and gasped for air.

Versa squealed, and ran as fast as she could out of the room as the ice was quickly overtaking the room. Elsa fell to her knees; her tears already dropping to the icy layers on the floor. Finally, her emotions exploded, which only caused the icicles and ice spears to grow in speed and to unnatural sizes and thicknesses. She collapsed to her knees, cupped her face in her two hand, and leaned forward until the back of her hands were nearly touching the ground. From behind her hands, the sounds of her weeping could not be masked.

* * *

The people of Arendelle were confused when the sun was suddenly hidden behind gloomy, grey clouds that covered all of the town and the castle. What was once a pleasant September afternoon quickly became a howling blizzard. Everyone caught outside in the town, quickly ran as fast as they could to their homes to take shelter. The winds came suddenly blowing through the streets, bringing with it a blanket of heavy snow.

Just as the storm came upon them, there had been rumors that Princess Anna was killed in the Eastern Mountains by an avalanche. If there was any doubt to those rumors, they were immediately laid to rest as this storm was clearly no natural phenomenon. There could be no doubt that this storm was a result of the Queen in a severe state of emotional agony. Those who have heard these rumors took time to embrace their families and shed tears together. At the same time, though, the mourning could not last long when the threat of being buried in snow was currently and literately over their heads. If the Queen did not recover from this lost sooner than any normal human being usually did under these circumstances, then everyone in town would either freeze or starve to death.

* * *

When Anna opened her eyes, she was looking up at a large stone boulder hanging over her. At first, her mind was trying to catch up on what had just happened. It took her a few seconds of staring up at the boulder and watching her breath rise upward, before she remembered that they had been overtaken by an avalanche. The last thing her mind could not grasp was... how did they survive?

"Anna, you alright?" Kristoff said, sitting up beside her.

"Oh yeah, I'm just dandy!" She grunted as she forced herself to sit up and see what was going on.

The two of them were sitting under a large rock, that apparently was sticking out from the base of the mountain. They now found themselves in a small snow cave with very little moving room, and very little light, other than a small lantern that Kristoff had somehow manage to have on him. She wasn't even sure how he had managed to get the miniature lantern from the sled before abandoning it, but she was sure glad that he had.

"We are extremely lucky to be alive right now," he said. "I pulled you under this rock, hoping that it was deeply entrenched enough into the mountain not to collapse on top of us, and to redirect the snow around us. It was."

"Yay, us," She said half sarcastically. She was still trying to break out of her state of shock after watching her life flash before her eyes. "How do we get out of here, now?"

He looked away. He had no good answer to give her. The chances of surviving were not the best in the world; actually, their chances were slim to none. One wrong move and the snow could bury them alive. With no one knowing they were down here, things could not look grimmer. He wasn't about to tell her that, though.

When he gave her no answer, she suspected that he was afraid to tell her the truth. She was not ready to admit defeat so easily. In the limited space she had, she spun herself around until she was able to get onto her hands and knees, and then crawled to the far snow wall, which formed immediately at the edge of the large boulder. She started to dig diagonally upward through the snow.

"Whoa there, Princess! Don't do that!" he said, pulling her back as gently as he could.

"What? We need to get out of here, don't we?"

"We don't know how much snow is on top of us," Kristoff explained. "If there's a lot of it, then you may cause it to come crashing in on us."

"Then how do we get out here? We can't stay here forever! We got to get out of here and help Elsa!" Anna started with her rapid babbling; the clearest sign that fear and hopelessness was trying to take hold of her.

"Calm down!" he said, putting his hands on her shoulders. "I really need you to stay calm. We've got very little air down here, and panicking will only use it up all the more quickly."

He forced her to stare into his eyes, in an attempt to pass on some of his calm demeanor through his eyes. Looking into his eyes did have a calming effect, and her nerves started to slowly subside. Unfortunately, they subsided a little too much, and she started to sink into depression. "This is my fault. I should have listened to you from the start."

"Hey, none of that now, either," he replied. "We're going to find a way out of here, and we're going to find a cure for your sister."

Anna managed a smile. She knew how often her recklessness had gotten them in tight situations, but never once did he blame her or hold it over her head. He had always tried to bend over backwards to make her happy, no matter how uncomfortable it made him. He never once complained about it, either. He may not be prince, but she was very lucky to be marrying a man like him.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Elsa wondered down the hall in a daze. Her heart felt like it had been shattered into a million pieces; her grief felt like and endless pit that she just could not climb out of. Maybe it was the fact that she had been so excited to see her little sister get married. Maybe because it was so close from happening, that this hurt all the more. She knew a part of it was because she had kept Anna at arm's length for so long, and they were just starting to make up for that.

Now, that opportunity had been taken from her. Fate had taken everything from her that she loved: her parents... her sister... everything. It had taken everything, and left her a curse that made her a freak. Perhaps the Duke of Weaselton was right, perhaps she was a monster. If she was, she had lost the only thing that had made her feel... normal.

She was wondering through the castle, not quite sure where her body was taking her. She didn't have the will to guess where she would end up. Her soul was directing her path, merely just bringing the rest of her along for the ride. She entered a chamber, not quite sure exactly which one it was. She looked up and she found herself in the last place she wanted be at that moment. Standing in the center of the room was the ice sculpture of Anna.

Just seeing the icy face of Anna again, brought a new wave of emotions over her. Breathing heavily, she fought against that rising anger that did not want to remain bottled up. Her right hand balled into fist that clenched so tightly, that it shook violently. The ground beneath her feet started icing up, and the ice spread rapidly until it reached the walls. It then climbed up them when it ran out of floor space. Snowflakes swirled around her clenched fist, and it continued to pick up speed and intensity.

She clenched her eyes shut tightly, and her breathing got heavier to the point of turning into a snarl. When her eyes opened again, they were glowing. The last strain of her light blond hair disappeared, leaving all of her hair white as the snow she manipulated. The rage exploded out of her; she screamed as she violently swung her clenched fist across and over her head.

A deafening rumble came from the ice sculpture as a giant crack formed at the waist. The top half of the sculpture started to tip forward and gravity did her dirty work. It crashed onto the ground, and the arms and the head broke off. The raging blizzard inside of the magical ice sculpture was unleashed, filling the room with a violent blizzard storm for about thirty seconds. When the storm ended, the sculpture was nothing more than a shattered ice sculpture, which was already in progress of melting.

The glow in her eyes subsided, and the sudden realization, of what she had just done, began to take hold. The ice head of Anna lay on the ground, seemingly looking up at her as it melted before her eyes. The sight reawakened the tears in her eyes. They streamed down her face as she turned and ran. She ran by several workers, not even caring what they may think or say. She raced through the castle to her private chambers. Slamming the door shut behind her, she leaped onto her bed and buried her face in her pillow to suppress the sounds of her sobs.

As she scooted on her bed, she felt strange objects on her bed. Risking to look up from her pillows with her tear stained face, she saw the items that were brought back by the captain of the guard. The items were gently placed on her bed. There was the wooden plank from Kristoff's ice sled and Anna's green hooded shawl, which was neatly folded. On top of the shawl, was a piece of paper... the map that Anna had used and Versa had told her about.

She opened the sheet and looked at, letting out a sniffle in the process. Indeed, this map did lead her to the part of the Eastern Mountains that were very prone to avalanches. "Why Anna? Why?"

There was a nervous and gentle knock on her door. "Your Highness?" Versa's soft and reluctant voice came from the other side of the door.

Elsa quickly wiped the tears from her face. "What is it, Versa?"

"I need to speak to you... it's kind of urgent."

"You may enter," Elsa said, though she found it ironic. Versa obviously was the one who laid this stuff on her bed in the first place.

The massive door opened and she nervously, and cautiously, entered the room as if her life was in jeopardy for merely coming before her presence. "We've kinda—sorta—have a slight problem."

"What problem?"

"Arendelle is kind of being buried alive under a massive blizzard."

Elsa knew what she was referring to; her broken heart was unleashing another out-of-control storm over the kingdom. She had been so wrapped up in her mourning, that she forgot that there was going to be a huge negative effect on the people of Arendelle. Even now that she knew, she couldn't just stop mourning on a blink of a dime. Her sister had just died; there was no easy cure for that kind of a broken heart. "I'm so sorry; I can't help it! I'm heartbroken," her voice cracked, as she fought off the urge to break down in front of her handmaiden.

"I understand, Your Highness," was all that Versa could say seeing the suffering that was going on inside of her. She dreaded this very moment since having learned of the incident. How could anyone expect someone to recover immediately after receiving news like this? There was nothing she could say or do to change anything. This was the queen's curse to bare.

Elsa's emotions started to show as she shook her head. "Why is this happening to me? Why do I have to be such a monster? Why can't I just be... normal?"

As she said those words, she looked at the folded map in her hands. Anna had died trying to find a cure for her curse. She was so certain about what she would find that she sacrificed her life to attempt to go this location on the map. Their father sounded fairly optimistic in the pages, that Versa showed her, that there was a cure out there. Maybe she didn't have to be the monster that she was destined to be. Her people were suffering because of her heartache; just maybe if she could rid herself of these powers, they would no longer have to suffer, and she could spend her time in mourning.

"Your Highness?" Versa looked at her inquisitively.

"Prepare my horse; I'm going on a journey."

Versa's eyes could not display the horror any more clearly than they did that moment. "Please, Your Highness, we can't afford to lose you too!"

"It is for the sake of my people, that I have no choice BUT to go. Besides, I'm the snow queen; the snow doesn't bother me."

* * *

Being stuck underneath snow, there was no telling how long they've been there. All Kristoff knew was that it had already been too long. He was using his pickax to dig a tunnel through the snow, and he was going as fast as he could. There was no telling how long it would take before they would suffocate to death, and he didn't really care to find out either.

Occasionally, he would look back and check up on Anna. There was nothing she could do but to sit there, hug her knees, and watch him. He tried to push himself as hard as he could; he did not want her to see how tired that he was getting. To help, he started humming a tune that he tended to sing while out ice harvesting with other men. Humming the tune, helped him find his strength, as he matched the tune to the hacking of the ice.

The little tune did not go unnoticed by Anna. "That's a lovely melody."

He looked back towards her with an embarrassed grin on his face. "Oh, that? That's just a little song that we ice harvesters enjoy singing while working."

"Really? What kind of songs do you men sing?"

Kristoff sighed, not wanting to divulge everything they sung about, out of sensitivity for Anna's sister, but there, but Anna was going to find out the truth someday. "Well, we sing songs about ice, and sometimes about the legend of the Ice Witch." Not wanting to see any look of distress or hurt on her face, he quickly explained. "It has nothing to do with your sister, please believe me! The stories and songs of the Ice Witch have been passed down from generation to generation. I've learned a few of the songs when I was just a little boy learning how to Ice Harvest. Funny, my family never really cared for the songs all that much. I guess I now know why."

At first, Anna's face remained expressionless. He couldn't tell if she was offended by just the thought the songs of the Ice Witch could be a reference about her sister. He had avoided telling her telling about these songs and stories up to this point, because he feared that possible confusion. Now that they were going to be married, if they survived this, they knew each other well enough to know that he cared for her sister deeply. The queen would be his family, and he loved his family and would do anything to protect them.

After a few seconds of silence, she finally spoke. "Sing one for me."

"What here? Now?" Kristoff stuttered, followed by a timely cough. "I don't even have my lute with me."

"That's okay," She smiled. "You were doing pretty well the way you were going with your ax."

There was no getting out of it. She was not going to let him get away with not singing her one of his ice harvesting songs. "Err—ok, I suppose I can do one for you." He turned back towards the tunnel and commenced digging through the snow to pick up the beat.

(space)

_Snow thicker than her blood and ice colder than her stare _

_Her frosty grip shows no mercy and leaves men in despair_

_Her heart of ice will chill a man's soul_

_Her skin as white, as white as the snow_

_Fear her reign_

_Respect her throne_

_And stay clear of the icy witch_

_(Space)_

_Beautiful as the morning sun, and intense as the midnight moon_

_Her powers are such that can make the strong man swoon_

_Her eyes glows with unruly hate_

_Her smile will lure you as her bait_

_Fear her reign_

_Respect her throne_

_Beware the icy witch_

_(space)_

Kristoff looked back to see Anna's reaction. It was probably a very poor song to choose from; it would only remind her of what was happening to her sister. The look on her face clearly showed her being stunned. After an awkward moment of silence, she finally replied. "That was... nice. It was kinda creepy, though."

He shrugged. "Hey, ice harvesting is a very dangerous occupation, and the men who do it are very strong, rigid, and abrasive. We just don't sing about fluff."

Anna grinned. "For someone who doesn't like to sing about fluff, you're fluffier than a big bunny rabbit."

"Wait...what? I resent that!" He replied, slightly miffed. "I'm just as manly as the other ice harvesters."

She chuckled at how cute he was when he was quickly trying to defend his manliness. The way his nose bulged when he was frustrated was just adorable. "Okay, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to question your manhood."

"Apology accepted," he replied with a nod of his head. He turned back around to continue working on his tunnel. He then noticed something sticking out of the snow in front of him. "I found something!"

"You did? What is it?" She asked excitedly, trying to crawl over to him to see for herself. With so little crawling space, it was very difficult, especially when he was tugging at whatever he found with as much strength as he had.

The item broke free from the snow so suddenly, his elbows shot behind him, and nearly clobbered her in the nose. Luckily, she managed to pull away to avoid it. She returned to where she was sitting as Kristoff was crawling back out of the tunnel. When he was out and sat up, he held up a familiar looking black wooden board. It was part of his sled.

Seeing it in his hand, she grimaced in embarrassment. She had once again led them on a trip that cost him his sled, something he valued more than anything. Growing up, the sled was the only thing he owned. As a boy, it was his key into manhood. He loved his little boy's sled. He got it from his birth parents, and it was the only thing he remembered about them.

No one knew what happened to his parents, and if Kristoff knew anything, he refused to talk about it. All Anna knew, from the stories he told her, that he found the Ice Harvesters as a young lad. They seemed to tolerate his and Sven's presence. He then found the trolls, who took him in and raised him. Even at that time, he still hung around the ice harvesters because he grew up loving the work. When he was old enough, he worked hard to be able to afford his first sled. He was so proud of what he accomplished and to own his first personal possession, he cherished it to no end. He was so fond of it, that he was early on each and every payment he had to make on it.

Sadly, he had just made the last payment on it when he met Anna, and on their journey, the sled fell off a cliff and exploded. As a result, Anna and her sister replaced that sled with this new and latest modal of ice sleds. He cherished that sled just much, if not more, because it came from her. Now, he had lost another sled helping her out. "I'm so sorry about your sled."

He looked calm and collected as he stared at the board. He showed no emotions at all, which greatly surprised her. "It's okay... it's just a sled." He stared at it for a few more seconds, before his emotions finally showed themselves. He let out a sigh and a heavy moan. "But I loved that sled."

Anna couldn't help it; she covered her mouth to try to hide the chuckling that broke forth from her. Once she managed to control it, she lowered her hands, to display a giant grin on her face. "BIG... fluffy... bunny."

He looked at her dryly with a raised eyebrow. It was his way of saying that he was feeling insulted, but instead, it nearly caused Anna to burst out laughing. She was managing to keep it to merely snickering, but it took every ounce of her not to explode in a laughing fit. The look on his face was priceless! In a slight huff, he tossed the wood aside and crawled back through the tunnel to continue, hopefully, working towards freedom.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Elsa rode Cyphus with great urgency. When she rode out of the stables, she could hardly believe how much snow had accumulated so quickly. It was a repeat of two years ago, something she never thought would happen again. She had learned to control her powers so something like this would never happen again, but it appeared that she had never gained control of the curse, itself.

It was rough, at first, getting Cyphus to ride through the thick snow, but as soon as they were away from the kingdom, the snow levels diminished, and the intensity of the storm dwindled to a gentle snow fall. Once they made it that far, he stopped resisting the journey. As it turned out; the horse was not too fond of the snow.

Keeping up a fast pace, she wanted to get to the final destination as soon as possible. She had no idea what she would find, once there. Would she find another family of trolls there or something else entirely? Something told her that whatever it was, she would know she found it when she saw it.

She figured that she could save time by taking a more direct rout, through the forest. She could avoid some of the most treacherous parts of the journey by doing so, including the path where the avalanche had taken Anna's life. She refused to follow that rout, out of fear of what she might stumble upon. Besides, it was a lot easier to cut through the forest with a horse than it was for a sled. There was no doubt in Elsa's mind that Kristoff told Anna that when she probably insisted on taking a more direct rout. The forest was just too thick for sleds.

After awhile galloping through the forest, Elsa knew she had to give Cyphus a break. The realization of just how hard she'd been pushing him came as the weather started taking a turn for the worse. The wind picked up again and the falling snow became as thick as a white blanket. She pulled on the reigns and Cyphus was more than happy to take a breather.

She raised her hand to shield her eyes from the wind and the snow that it threw in her face. She had no idea if this storm was a result of her emotions or if it was a natural storm, but either way... it was impeding on her most urgent mission. Taking a deep breath, she fought with the emotions raging inside of her. She closed her eyes to keep out all visuals from distracting. With her heart so broken, it took A LOT of concentration to be able to control her powers. "Come on, girl. Conceal it... don't feel it... don't let it show."

When her eyes opened, she temporarily had the spark of confidence in her eyes. She managed to hold it long enough to raise her right hand and swirl it around two full rotations. The wind immediately obeyed her and dwindled down to a gentle breeze, and the snow fall became nothing more than a flurry. The storm clouds thinned out just a bit, but it remained steadfast and unmoving. It was not a complete success, but it was enough where she could see where she was going and could continue her journey.

Cyphus became frantic, and nearly bucked her off his back. She pulled in the reigns to try to steady him. "Whoa, boy! What's wrong?"

Her answer was quickly answered when the horse turned sideways, as to show her what had him on edge. Five white and grey wolves were standing there growling, preparing for an attack. And THAT was probably the downside to taking the shortcut through the forest. Their fangs were dripping with their drool, a clear sign that they were starving, which did not bode well for them.

Not in the mood for this delay, she simply snapped her fingers. The snow behind her instantly began to rise and morph into shape, which quickly drew the attention of the wolves. The snow began to take shape of a familiar snow beast, claws and fangs made of icicles. It was the same snow beast she made two years ago to try to get Anna out of her ice castle. For some strange reason, she had given him the name of Marshmallow.

The snow beast walked forward and put himself in between them and the wolves. He looked down at the five wolves who were stunned by the sudden turn of events. He took a deep breath and unleashed an ear piercing, nerve shattering roar down at the pack of predators, which quickly turned and ran for the lives amongst sounds of whimpers and cries. With the danger now extinct, Marshmallow was more than content to disintegrate back into the snowy ground. With everything calm once again, Elsa and Cyphus was able to commence on their journey.

* * *

"Anna, wake up!"

Anna's eyes fluttered open from being shaken. Her eyes opened to a frantic Kristoff standing over her. She let out a groggy moan, wondering why he was so panicked. "What? I'm just resting my eyes a little."

"No! Stay with me, Anna! Don't fall asleep on me, do you hear me?" he said, shaking her again until her eyes opened again.

"Why? We've been down here for hours! What's wrong with a small nap? Just one small..."

"You must stay awake!" he shook her again as she was again starting to succumb to urge to sleep. "If you fall asleep, you may not wake up again!"

They both were suffering from oxygen deprivation, but Anna seemed ready to surrender to it faster. She had no idea the danger that they were now facing with a lack of fresh air to breath. If they fell asleep down there, buried under the snow, then they would end up dying in their sleep. In a situation like this, sleep was the enemy.

Anna sighed as she forced herself to sit up. She wasn't totally sure why it was important to stay awake, and she definitely wasn't sure how long she had the strength to do so. If it concerned him that greatly, then she was willing to try her best to fight against the fatigue that was starting to weigh heavy on her.

"Don't be such a grouch!"

Both Anna and Kristoff were taken back by a new voice joining them in their little snow caved. They peered over to Anna's right to see Olaf lying comfortably on his back, with his wooden hands serving as a pillow for the back of his oddly shaped snowball head. "Olaf!" Their shocked expressions came simultaneously.

"Man, you two were hard to find," the snowman said as he sat up. "Remind me never to play hide and seek with you two. I just love this cozy little cave you made! For some reason it feels like home. Let's stay the night!"

"How did you get in here?" Kristoff asked.

"Hello, I'm made of snow... and we're completely surrounded by it. Getting through snow is not a problem for someone like me," he responded, pointing to a tunnel that went around the left side of giant boulder. Olaf had to have started from near the base of the mountain. The tunnel was about the size of Olaf's waist, which was the biggest snow ball of the little snowman. Down at the end, of the tunnel was Sven's snout, sticking down from a hole that appeared to have been dug out by his antlers.

"Sven! He's alive!" Kristoff said excitedly. He had feared the worst for his reindeer. He was so glad to see that he was able to run to safety after being set free from the sled.

"Anna, crawl through the hole towards Sven. Grab his antlers, and he should be able to pull you out."

Anna nodded and rolled over onto her hands and knees. Before commencing her crawl, she couldn't help but notice how narrow the tunnel was. She watched as Olaf was already sliding through the tunnel almost like a penguin. He had no problems traveling through this tunnel he made. She knew she was petite enough to make it through, but Kristoff..."

She looked back at him with a look of concern clearly depicting her doubt. He knew what was concerning her. "Don't worry about me, I'm going to ax my way through," he replied, holding up his pickax.

Feeling better, she went ahead and crawled through the narrow tunnel. She could not even come close to the speed Olaf moved through it. It was less than half way through the tunnel when she discovered something about herself: she wasn't too fond of tight spaces. She nearly hated it almost as much as closed doors. "You can do it Anna. Just keep moving. Just keep moving. Just keep moving."

She kept her eyes towards Sven's snout; she was afraid if she stopped, the anxiety that she was feeling would explode out of her. There were times where it felt like the tunnel was get longer instead of shorter. Finally she made it to the end, and having smelt her arriving, the reindeer titled his head and stuck his right antler into the snow.

She reluctantly grabbed hold of the antler, not quite sure how to grab it in ordered to be pulled out of the snow. She was also concerned about holding it wrong, and hurting him. The reindeer pulled her up with such force, it felt like she was launched out of the hole. It was as if she weighed no more than a single goose feather.

Now out from her captivity, her fatigue was slowly washing away. The chill in the air was a surprising welcome; the weather had died down to a steady flurry. The fresh air was so intoxicating, that she just stood there for a moment to take it in.

Kristoff, relieved to see her free, he went to work hacking at the snow in an attempt to enlarge the tunnel. With a newfound determination and confidence that he was going to survive this ordeal, he pressed on has hard as he could. The fatigue from a lack of oxygen was still threatening to overtake him; however the new tunnel that led to a hole in the snow did bring with it a little relief. That gave him the additional strength he needed to keep moving forward.

Perhaps he became too overly excited, and that, in turn, caused him to be reckless. As his ax chipped away at the snow walls, the snow over him began to shift. "Oh no." The snow tunnel collapsed on top of him, burying him in an untold amount of snow.

"Kristoff!" Anna shouted, as she watched the snow collapse from on top. The hole, his only means of escape, was now gone.

Sven shared the same urgency as she did. He knew full well what had just happened, and what it could mean for his best human friend. He franticly started using his antlers to dig through the snow. Olaf quickly joined in the dig. Anna had fallen into shock, and could only watch them dig franticly. In one moment, everything looked like it would be alright, and in the next... she was overcome with grief that she might have just seen the man, whom she loved, perish. It all happened so fast, she was having troubles processing it.

Sven and Olaf were digging as fast as they could through the now loosened snow. His large antlers pierced deeply into the snow and when he pulled up on his neck, a large amount of snow was flung up into the sky and disintegrated as it fell back to the ground. He refused to give up, as determination to save his friend fueled each and every dig.

Anna had almost all but given up on seeing him alive, after a minute going by without any luck of finding him. Sven continued to keep up his strenuous pace until on one dig, he kept his antler in the snow. The expression on the reindeer's face quickly grabbed Anna's attention, and once again, hope was allowed to renter.

The reindeer struggled to resurface his antler from the snow for a brief time, and that only served to motivate him to pull harder. After a few hard tugs, finally Kristoff's arms and head reemerged from the snow. He let out a deep breath, to allow the oxygen to reenter his lungs. Sven pulled again, and this time, it was enough to get him only waist deep. It was more than enough for him to be able to climb out himself.

As soon as he was back on his feet, Anna was on with such force, that she almost knocked him off his feet. "Kristoff! I thought... I thought..." Her mind failed to formulate the completion of that thought as she embraced him so tightly, that her voice was muffled into his shoulder.

"Anna... can't... breathe!" he gasped.

Anna quickly realized that she was doing more than just embracing him. Her arms were a little too close to his neck and were slowly suffocating him. She was just so happy to see him alive, that she never gave him the time to breath in the fresh air. She backed away to give him that time the he needed. "Sorry."

He took a minute to breath in the fresh air. The smell of the crisp, clean fresh hair entered his lungs and slowly started restoring his strength. He looked up at Sven who was starting to nudge him, with his snout, to check up on him. "Good boy, Sven!" he said as he stroked his hand through Sven's hair on his scalp.

"I helped too!" Olaf reminded, wanting his share of recognition.

"Yes, you did. Thank you," Anna said as she knelt down in front of the little snowman. She leaned forward and planet a soft, warm peck on his snowy cheek.

The expression of his face almost caused her to break out laughing. If Olaf hadn't been made of snow, he would probably be blushing at that moment. He let out an 'oh shucks' form of chuckle before turning his large eyes towards Kristoff.

He looked down, dryly at the snowman. He knew that the snowman was looking for a similar praise from him. "I am NOT going to kiss you." His reply matched the expression on his face. The slight look of hurt that came across Olaf's face quickly told him that he couldn't just drop the subject. He could also feel Anna's eyes bearing into him, wanting him to do something to show some short of appreciation. There was no way he was going to kiss the silly little snowman. Instead, he would have to settle with a nod of approval. "But yes, you did good, too."

That compliment seemed to suffice for the little snowman. Now that the awkward moment was past, they could address the more pressing issue at hand. Anna, was thinking on the same line as he was, when she asked the very question that needed answering. "So now what? Where do we go from here?"

"Well," Kristoff stood up straight and regained his composure. "Our priority now should be to find shelter and keep warm. Seeing that we're much closer to our destination than we are to Arendelle, I say we continue forward and hope we find a source of warmth."

"But I lost the map in the avalanche!" Anna said, embarrassed that she had managed to lose their most important tool. She had no idea how they would ever find their way home, even if they were successful finding the mysterious destination that they were looking for.

"One problem at a time," he responded. "Besides, you'd be amazed to know just how intelligent reindeer actually are."


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Elsa had made good time, and was now nearing the location on the map that was marked with a giant red 'X'. Now that she was near the area, she slowed her horse down to a slow going trot to allow her the time to keep an eye out. She had no idea what she was looking for. She didn't even know WHO she was looking for. Her greatest fear, at that point, was to learn that there was nothing there at all, and that she had made this journey for nothing. That was something she could not handle.

As they slowly made their way forward, the familiar smell of burning, pine wood caught her attention. It was a smell that she had always loved, but more importantly, it was a sign of life. The smell only grew stronger as they went on, and at last, she could white smoke rising in the sky. It was a control burn from a fire place; the color and the amount of the smoke all confirmed it. There was no way a wild forest fire could take place here where all the trees were covered in snow.

She urged Cyphus to head towards the smoke. At the very least, she knew she had at least found shelter for the night. Yes, the cold may not bother her, but that didn't mean that she did not enjoy the comforts of a nice warm bed. If this wasn't the place she was looking for, perhaps whoever she was about to meet would know what she was looking for.

Following the smoke, she found a single wooden cabin in the middle of nowhere. At first, she could hardly believe that someone actually lived in these mountains. However, seeing the cabin not completely submerged by the snow made her believe that the weather wasn't all treacherous on this part of the mountain. Someone obviously made their home here in the mountains, which meant they had a steady access of food and water.

She dismounted her horse and tied the reigns around the trunk of a think tree. When she was confident that he wasn't going anywhere, she made her way to the front door. She passed a window on her way to the front door. She could see lit candle lights through the room. That was further proof that someone was home.

As she stood at the front door, she fought with her nerves. Was this person the one who could remove this curse from her? She had caused more suffering to her people, and to herself, than she cared to believe. For the sake of her people, she needed this all to be true. She needed this curse out of her life once and for. She needed to be normal.

After an internal battle, which felt like an eternity to fight, she found the courage and knocked on the door. She didn't have to wait long before the door opened with an eerie creek emanating from its rusted hinges. A women was standing on the other side of the door. She was dressed in a simple and modest black dress which complemented her salt and pepper hair. She looked like she was old enough to just be starting her grandmother years, if she was married and had any children. Her posture suggested that she was probably quite literate and probably even well educated. Yet, her eyes seemed lively and ready to burst forth with friendliness. At the same time, there was something vaguely familiar about them.

The woman seemed to immediately recognized her; the moment she realized who was standing at her front door, she quickly bowed. "Queen Elsa! Your majesty."

"May I come in and keep warm for awhile?"

"Please, Your Majesty, make yourself at home!" she stepped aside to allow the queen to enter her home.

Elsa kindly accepted the invitation and walked into this cute little cabin in the woods. She found herself I a cozy wooden room. She had never seen so much wood in all her life. Everything, including the few pieces of furniture, was made of wood. Immediately to her left was the fire place. It was the only part of the house not made of wood. The fire was lively and bright as a small black cauldron on top. Whatever was boiling from the pot smelt pretty good.

On the other side of the fireplace, at the far end of the room, was a doorway into another room. She couldn't see enough to know what the other room was; she just assumed it was the dining room or something of that nature. Following that wall, that separated the two rooms, was a beautiful crafted set of stairs leading up to the next floor. The carpentry work on those steps alone showed that a lot of care went into building this quaint little place. There were a few hand crafted wooded furniture in the room, and something that looked like a hand crafted stand up mirror that was completely covered in

"You have a lovely little place here."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," she said humbly, closing the door behind her. "Please excuse my appearance. I have long suspected and hoped that you would find your way here. I just had no idea that today would be the day. Care for some soup?" She asked as she pointed to the boiling caldron.

"No thanks." She couldn't think about eating now, after that last comment the women made. It seemed just like a simple comment wrapped in a shroud of mystery. "Excuse me, but I don't understand. You knew I was coming?"

Seeing that the queen was not in the mood to eat, she stepped away from the fire place. "If I may, let me just lay it all on the line. I have nothing to be ashamed of; I am a witch."

"I see," Elsa said, not quite sure what to make of this news, nor quite sure if coming here was a mistake or not. It appeared that this woman wanted to get something off her chest. Elsa decided that she should hear her out before making any decisions on anything.

"I knew both of your parents quite well when they were younger," the witch explained. "When I heard that another witch tried to curse your mother, but instead the curse was laid upon you, I suspected that they would come to me to find a cure. It appears that they decided to go to the stone trolls first."

"Wait, I was three when my powers first manifested. I wasn't taken to the trolls until I was eight."

"Ah, and that confirms my suspicion as to why they never spoke to me again," she replied sorrowfully. "Actually, the first time your parents took you to them was when you powers started manifested. The elder troll erased yours and your parent's memories."

"But why?" Elsa asked. "Why would they?"

"Oh, Your Majesty, please don't get me wrong. The stone trolls maybe a little neurotic, but they are good bunch of little fellows. Your powers are the result from the curse of a devil's mirror. It feeds upon negative emotions and self depreciation. If you had known that what you were cursed, the negative emotions would have overtaken you a lot sooner. They took your memories so you could believe that these powers were something you were born with. Actually, it was a brilliant idea of theirs; I would have never dreamt of an idea like that."

"So you never heard from my parents again since then?"

"No. For a long time, I thought they were angry at me for some reason. I started hearing these rumors shortly before your parents died. I never had a chance to make amends with them. I only hoped that one day, that I would get to meet you and your sister."

"I see," Elsa said, as the mention of Anna brought back the stabbing pain to her heart.

"How rude of me! Please, Your Majesty, make yourself comfortable," the woman said, leading her towards one of the hand carved chairs. She followed her directions, but her mind was still overloaded with all this information and all the emotions of she was feeling. As she sat down, the witch could see the troubled look on her face. "I didn't mean to overload you with information all at once, deary."

"Oh, no, I'm okay," She said, waking herself out of her thoughts. When her mind returned to the present, her attention was caught by a very noticeable scar across her right palm.

"Wow, that's a nasty scar on your hand."

She quickly recoiled her hand to hide the scar. "Oh, it's nothing. It's just old would from my reckless childhood."

* * *

After running as far as he could, Sven had to slow down to a simple walk for a bit. Since speed was currently not an issue, Olaf was just as happy hobbling through the snow on his own two snowball feet. Anna and Kristoff rode Sven, and when Anna started shivering, they switched positions so that she sat in the front. This allowed him to be able to embrace her and allow his body heat to warm her.

"H—H—How much l—l—longer do y—y—you think i—i—it is?" Anna asked.

He had no idea how far they were from the destination. With the map lost, there was no telling where they were. Besides, he never got a good look at the map to be able to guess. He wasn't fond of telling fibs, even the smallest white lies, but in the years he had known Anna, he had come to learn when she wanted the truth and went she just needed to be listened to and comforted. This was one of those times. Two years of knowing her, and that had been the toughest thing to learn about women in general. "I'm sure we're getting close."

No sooner did those words leave his mouth when he smelled a welcoming fragrance of burning lumber. There was a fire somewhere nearby, and when there's fire, that usually mean there was someone who was trying to keep warm. "Do you smell that? There's a fire burning!"

"A f—f—fire?"

"Yes! A Fire! Sven, follow that smell!"

* * *

Elsa listened to more of her story. The woman's name was Birgitta. As she continued on with her story, Elsa could not help but feel sorry for her; because of the actions of one of her own kind, she had lost her friendship with her parents. She seemed like a nice enough lady, who was only glad to get meet their daughter. She had no idea about her recent loss of her younger sister.

As Birgitta continued to talk, her thoughts drifted towards her sister. Somehow, as she told her story, the topic of her sister kept on coming up. Each and every time, her heart sank deeper and deeper, as it was like continuously being reminded that her sister had just died. Her wall of emotions was taking a barrage of poundings and the wall was already fragile as it was. She had no idea how much more she could take.

The witch noticed something was going on inside of her, and quickly ended her story. "Are you alright, dear?"

"Who—wha—me? Oh, yes, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

She nodded to Elsa's chair. Looking down at the arms of her chair where her hands were, and the wood was frozen over. Her powers were already seeping through. "I'm so sorry."

Birgitta studied her for a few seconds. "Your curse is out of control, isn't it? You're hair is white, and your skin is nearly the same. Something has happened."

Elsa chocked back her emotions. There was no need to answer that question; it was pretty obvious that was why she was here in the first place. "I feel an uncontrollable rage burning inside of me, and it's getting harder to control. It's turning me into someone who I don't want to be."

Birgitta gave her a sympathetic smile. "That's what the curse was meant to do to your mother. Why this curse infected you, as the first born child... I can't be certain. The curse is designed to turn someone into a heartless, vengeful ice witch."

"Can you cure me?"

Birgitta sat in her chair and simply stared at her for a moment. Elsa couldn't tell if she was still studying her situation or she was actually hesitant to tell her. Elsa was in desperate need of a cure; she had to convince her to help her, if she had the ability. Finally, after letting out a heavy sigh, she responded. "Can I cure your curse? Yes. The question is... do you want to be cured?"

Elsa's eyes lit up upon hearing a 'yes' coming from her mouth. She had been so afraid, and nearly expected, to be disappointed on this journey, that it never crossed her mind that she might be successful. "I need this cure. For the sake of my people. I can't let them suffer any more because of me."

Birgitta smiled gently. "You're making this decision for the sake of your people, but what about for your own sake. This decision cannot be taken lightly." She pointed to the hand-crafted stand up mirror behind the sheet. "I designed this mirror, similar to the devil's mirror that cursed you through your mother. I created it just in case you ever came to me to be cured. There is one distinct difference, between this mirror and the other one, though. This mirror will only take this curse from you if you allow it. If there is any part of you that hesitates, your curse will only return with a vengeance and overtake you."

The deal didn't sound bad at all. There was no part of her that was interested in having these powers any longer. The town would be spared from any further harm, and she could have her time of solitude to mourn for Anna's lost. As far as she could see... there was no downside.

Before she could say anything, there came a knock on the door. "Strange, who else would be in these mountains?"

She stood up and made her way to the door. Whoever was at the door knocked again, stressing great urgency for someone to open up. It didn't do anything to hurry Birgitta up. She kept her calm pace until she reached the door. She carefully opened it up. "Hello?"

"Pardon the intrusion, but we've just been through an avalanche, and we're wet and cold. Would you mind if we came in and warm ourselves by the fire for awhile?" Kristoff asked, embracing the shivering Anna in front of him to shield her from as much as the cold as he could.

Anna's eyes strayed beyond her and into her log cabin, only to see the last person she ever expected to find in these mountains. She was so excited; she broke free from his arms and inadvertently pushed Birgitta out of the way to step inside. "Elsa?"

Elsa was on her feet, in utter shock. It took her a second just to remember how to breathe again. "Anna? You're alive?" she gasped, cupping her mouth in her hands.

Anna ran towards her and straight into her arms. Elsa embraced her tightly as she could not fight the tears from coming out to streak down her cheeks. The realization that this was really happening came the moment she was able to hold her sister in her arms. Her emotions overtook her and she found herself crying in her baby sister's neck. "I thought I'd lost you!"

"I—I—I th—th—thought so to." Anna stuttered.

Elsa was so happy to hug her sister again; she nearly failed to feel just how cold she was. It was Anna's stuttering that quickly drew her attention to it. "Anna! you're freezing!"

Kristoff stood frozen at the doorway, still in shock over the situation. When he realized that he was standing there and letting all the heat out of the house, he commenced to take a step into the house until a sudden blizzard blast of wind and snow hit him across the chest and sent him flying back out of the cabin, colliding with Olaf. A massively thick sheet of ice rose directly in front of the doorway from the ground until it reached all the way to the ceiling.

Anna and Elsa broke of their embrace to turn to see what had happened, but another gust of wind and snow threw the two women apart. Elsa ended up tripping and falling back into the wooden chair she had just been sitting in, while Anna hit the wall, right besides the front window. The impact knocked the wind out of her, and sent her down onto her knees on the ground.

Both women were stunned by how this was happening. Elsa first looked towards Birgitta, but she was standing out of the way. Instead, a new woman stood there, having entered the room from the next room over. Her right arm was still stretched out and her fingers pointing forward. Snowflakes twirled around her hand until she formed a fist. The magic and flakes evaporated instantly.

Elsa's eyes could not open any wider, as she almost had to pinch herself. Seeing this stranger from the side, she was almost recognizable with her brunette hair. However, that did not make it any less shocking when she turned to look at Elsa straight on with her new glowing eyes and a devilish smile on her face. "Hello, Your Highness!"

"V—Versa?"


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"Versa?"

She grinned back at Elsa with confidence; something that was very strange to see on the face of the young handmaiden. Her whole demeanor was different as she stood there in the center of the room before them. It would have been a tremendous transformation to see, if it wasn't for the worst.

She wasn't done with the surprises, either. She grabbed her brunette wig, and took it off, revealing a scalp full of very short, and probably shaved, white hair. She no longer resembled the girl that Elsa and Anna thought she was; this was a complete stranger standing before them.

Birgitta stepped forward, deciding to break this awkward silence in the room. She had yet another surprise to reveal to the royal sisters. "You two girls should already know Versa, MY first born daughter."

"First born?" Elsa picked right up on what the witch was trying to explain. The scar on her hand now made perfect sense. She remembered reading in her father's journal that the witch had also been cut by the very mirror she created. She couldn't believe she didn't suspect it as soon as she saw that scar. That should have raised all the warning signs right there. "You're the one who tried to curse my mother!"

"What?" Anna could feel her heart breaking.

"Yes, I too was cursed by the mirror, so my firstborn ended up sharing your fate, Your Majesty," she smiled. Her gentle demeanor immediately started to take a very dark and ominous turn. "I was the one that your father should have married. I was the one your father loved, until he betrayed me and viciously ripped my heart to shreds. I simply just wanted to return the favor in kind." She took a quick glance at the ice blockade that her daughter created to keep Kristoff out of the house. He was taking his ax and trying to break through the ice, but to no avail. "When the curse passed to you, I was willing to wait a while longer to exact my revenge on Arendelle. Instead of your mother burying it in snow; it was going to be you. I even managed to sneak my daughter to sneak into your Kingdome so she could watch it all unfold. But then, you found a way to control your powers. You found a way to manipulate the power in such so you can actually thaw a wintery hell."

"Versa, why? Anna was on the verge of tears. How could she be a part of this? How could she break their hearts like this? "I thought we were friends."

Versa only grinned. "Sorry, princess, but my cold heart wants something more valuable than friendship. I want what your sister has. You weren't even supposed to be alive right now."

Her sharp words merely plunged the knife deeper into Anna's heart. "Y—y—you caused th—th—the aval—l—lanch?"

"Actually, it's a perfect arrangement," Birgitta said, wanting to get things back on track. "Your Highness, you don't want these powers anyway, and my daughter does. This mirror will fulfill both of your wishes at the same time."

"And give you the power to bury Arendelle in an eternal winter? There is no way I'm going to help you do that. I am NOT giving you my powers!" Elsa replied and then jumped to her feet while waving her hand. She unleashed wintery blast of ice and snow toward Versa. She simply stood there as the mixture had somehow diverted itself around her. Her sneak attack had failed, and she couldn't figure out why.

"That was rather pointless," Versa grinned. "We're both under the same curse. Our powers cancel each other's out. You can't hurt me, and I can't hurt you. The same thing can't be said for your sister!" Versa unleash a magical blast of extremely cold wind right at Anna's right arm.

She squealed in pain and was quick to cradle her arm across her chest. "Anna!"

Elsa ran to her sister as the pain was so severe, that she could not get back onto her feet. She knelt down to see the damage done, but the slightest touch of her arm caused Anna to cry in pain. "Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!"

From outside, Kristoff saw what had just happened to Anna and was going frantic on the ice blockade. He was putting everything he could on each hack but the ice was impenetrable. He had never seen ice like this before. He was barely even making marks in it. On any other day, he would marvel at this sheet of ice, but the moment he saw Anna getting hurt; his love for ice found its end.

Elsa carefully took Anna's gloves off and pulled up on her sleeve. Even she gasped when she saw the damage. Her arm was frozen, and the ice was still slowly climbing up her arm. "What have you done?" Elsa glared daggers towards Versa.

"I just gave you a reason to want to give me your powers. Give them to me now, and maybe the worst that might happen is that she lives life with one arm. However, she's already in a weakened state. My guess is that she might have a few hours, at most, before she freezes to death."

Anna was barely hanging to consciousness; the pain was doing its best to try to put her asleep. Her determination to help Elsa was the only thing giving her strength. "Elsa, don't!"

"I don't have a choice, Anna. I'm not going to lose you again!"

""

_Elsa: Is there a way through this darkness? _

_Anna: Please be strong; you must not give in_

_""_

_Elsa: Can I escape the storm that rises? _

_Anna: You're not the monster you see within_

_""_

_Elsa: Can anyone stop this uncertainty?_

_Anna: Be the woman you were always born to be_

_""_

_Elsa: I just can't contain this anxiety._

_Anna: this has always been your destiny_

_""_

_Elsa: Anna, please don't ask me to let you go!_

_""_

_Elsa: Must I be the one... _

_Anna: You can be the one..._

_""_

_Elsa: ...the one who breaks your heart_

_Anna: ... to stand for right and wrong _

_""_

_Elsa: And watch it all just fall apart!_

_Anna: that power's been yours all along_

_""_

_Elsa: Must I be the one... _

_Anna: You can be that one;_

_""_

_Elsa: ...to watch your kingdom fall_

_Anna: Don't let me hold you back_

_""_

_Elsa: Must I be the one... _

_Anna: Please just let me go_

_Versa: No more with the delays_

_""_

_Elsa: ...to disappoint you one last time_

_Anna: I'd rather die than hurt your more_

_Versa: I'm going to set the land ablaze_

_""_

_Elsa: Don't know if my heart can withstand this crime._

_Anna: Whatever you do, just don't close your door_

_Versa: Give me what I want, there's no other choice_

_""_

_Elsa: Must I be the one... _

_Anna: Please just let me go_

_Versa: I will have what's yours_

_""_

_Versa: Your powers are now MINE!_

_""_

Versa ripped off the sheet from the standup mirror. Elsa didn't have the time to avert her gaze. It was almost instincts that made her look back at Versa as she unveiled the new devil mirror, and the moment her eyes laid upon her reflection, she felt like her spirit had started being ripped from her body.

White, glittery sparkles were being pulled from her body and swirled towards the mirror. The whirlwind of snowy sparkles bounced out the reflective surface of the mirror and went straight at Versa who stared at her image in the mirror. Both women were going through major transformations. Versa white hair magically began to grow to full length before it turned mostly icy blue. The texture of her exposed skin became like snow. Her eyes became a very dark, eerie blue and her humble hand maiden's dress became a royal, white gown that would be the envy of many queens.

Elsa took a different form of transition as she cringed at the pain of having a part of her soul ripped from her. Hey icy blue queen's dress vanished, by segments until she was back in the black and green dress she wore at her coronation. Her skin returned to its natural pale complexion. Her blue eyes faded, into a very light green, almost brownish tint. It was the same color of her father's eyes. Her white hair returned to its light blonde state temporarily, but that did not last long. Her hair darkened until it became a dark brown with a little reddish tint to it.

When the mirror was done with its dirty work, Versa was hardly recognizable. Her white gown made her look at least five inches taller. Any warmth of compassion she might have had before, was now long gone. In its place, there was a new, very cold, heartless aurora emanating all around her. With a violent swing of her hand, ice spears crashed through the mirror with such force, that it shattered. The wooden frame cracked and the reflective surfaces shattered into dozens of pieces.

Elsa was mentally disoriented by the ordeal. With her powers gone, she felt very... different. It was going to take some getting used to the change, but she didn't regret it in the least. As long as she knew that Anna would be alright. "Alright, you have my powers. Now, save my sister!"

Versa's face remained as emotionless as a stone as she looked towards the two sisters with her glowing eyes. "I think I will leave you alone so you can say your goodbyes."

"What! But you..."

"I never said anything about restoring her health," She said coldly. "Besides, I am an ice goddess. I freeze things; I don't do warm. You coming, mother?"

"You bet," Birgitta replied. "Now, your majesty, if you'll excuse us, we're off to Arendelle. After all, revenge is a dish best serve cold... or in this case... frozen."

He just couldn't take another hack at the ice. Kristoff's arms were sore and from the pounding he put on the ice, and after all that hard work, he was nowhere near getting through this icy blockade. He was struggling to catch his breath and could only watch as some strange magic was going on in the cabin. He wasn't sure what exactly had happened, but all he knew was that Anna was hurt, Elsa looked... different, and so did the handmaiden.

Was it Versa that put up this ice wall in his path? What was she doing up here in these mountains in the first place? He had his wild guests, and none of them painted her in a very flattering manner; especially based on the things he saw happening inside. He needed to get inside


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

He just couldn't take another hack at the ice. Kristoff's arms were sore from the pounding he put on the ice, and after all that hard work, he was nowhere near getting through this icy blockade. He was struggling to catch his breath and could only watch as some strange magic was going on in the cabin. He wasn't sure what exactly had happened, but all he knew was that Anna was hurt, Elsa looked... different, and so did the handmaiden.

Was it Versa that put up this ice wall in his path? What was she doing up here in these mountains in the first place? He had his wild guesses, and none of them painted her in a very flattering manner; especially based on the things he saw happening inside. He needed to get inside somehow, but he was out of ideas on how to accomplish it. "Darn it! This ice is too thick! I can't break it!"

"And you call yourself an ice harvester," Olaf said, wobbling up to the sheet of ice, and pushing him aside. "Stand aside; I'll knock down this wall of ice!"

Kristoff did just that, but not because the snowman had asked him to. He stood aside when he saw Versa and the other woman coming towards them. Still oblivious to what was going on inside the cabin, Olaf prepared himself to take his try on the sheet of ice. He took a deep gulp of air into his whatever he had that allowed him to breathe. There was still so much about the snowman that Kirstoff was curious about, including how he was able to breathe or smell when he didn't even have lungs. To him, this magical snowman was a walking enigma.

As he took his deep breath, the ice sheet exploded into a handful of giant fragments of ice. One of those fragments slammed right into Olaf's face, knocking his head off from his body. His little arms raised up in victory as his muffled voice came from a snow pile near a tree, and behind the piece of ice. "I did it!"

Without the head, Olaf's body staggered off, not quite sure where it was going. It managed to get out of the way of the doorway as the newly transformed handmaiden and the older woman exited out of the cabin. Kirstoff wanted to go after the women. He didn't know what was going on, but his instincts told him that they were trouble. At the same time, he knew that Anna was hurt, and that was more important to him than anything at that moment. Besides, they were more than content to ignore him completely. If he did anything to convince them otherwise, that might bring more pain to Anna.

He watched as they walked away from the cabin. They were ignoring Sven and Cyphus so either they were more than happy to walk to wherever they were going, or they had another form of transportation hiding somewhere. When they were far enough away from the cabin, he went ahead and ran inside the cabin, slamming the door shut behind him. He joined Elsa at Anna's side, who was on the ground, leaning back against the wall. "What happened?"

"She froze Anna! Versa froze Anna!" Elsa replied, still in shock.

"And what happened to you?" He asked, unable to keep his eyes off of her brown hair which made her look so different.

Elsa looked down in shame. "She took my powers."

There were still some important pieces of the puzzle that was missing. There was so much to catch up on, but when he saw Anna's arm, his priority quickly changed. He looked over at the fireplace, where a fire was still raging strong. "I'm going to get her over to the fire. Find a blanket, or something to wrap around her arm."

Elsa nodded, and jumped to her feet to search the house for a blanket or a towel. Kristoff carefully and gently scooped Anna into his arms as if she was a fragile glass statuette. Despite how gentle he tried to be, Anna cried out in pain with the slightest amount of movement. "Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!"

The pain was too much for her, and even before he was able to lay her down besides the fire, she had fallen into unconsciousness. Despite her blacking out, he was extremely careful laying her down on the hard wooden floor. As he did, he heard the sound of the front door opening. He could hear the familiar annoying chuckle, and that was all he needed to know who was entering the cabin.

Olaf closed the door, with his carrot nose in his hand. The carrot was broken in half and barley hanging on by a thread. He looked down at the carrot, and realized that there was no fixing it. He tossed it behind him and walked forward. He walked right past and Anna and Kristoff, as his focus was solely on going into the next room. Elsa nearly tripped over the determined snowman. There were a few times when Olaf got so focused on an idea, or thought, that everything else just disappeared. Trying to hold a conversation with him when he was like that was especially frustrating. During his first experience with summer, he got so focused on flowers, no one could hold a conversation or ask him a question without him babbling on about flowers.

Olaf entered the other room, and after a few seconds, the sound of refrigerator opening came from the room. A few more seconds later, the door closed and he let out a joyous chuckle before coming out of the room with a new carrot nose. It was then he noticed Elsa and Kristoff kneeling around Anna in front of the fireplace. Elsa was wrapping Anna's right arm in a towel as close to the flames as they dared. "What happened?"

"I failed, that's what happened," Elsa replied. "I failed Arendelle... I've failed Anna... I've failed myself."

There was a gentle knock at the front door. Olaf was quick to make his way over to answer it. "I'll get it!"

"Olaf, don't... it might be..." Elsa urged, but to no avail. She was afraid that Versa might be coming back or who knows what, but Olaf was so focused on answering the door; there was just no getting through to him. He had to take a small leap to be able to reach the door handle to open it. It didn't even provide a challenge for him; he had opened enough doors for it to become like second nature to him.

When the door opened, the little snowman had a delightful surprise standing there. Grand Pabbie and two of other members of the stone troll family stood there, waiting to come in. "Hey guys!"

Pabbie's facial expression was solemn, to say the least, as he and the other trolls entered the cabin. When they saw Anna on the floor by the fireplace, they knew that they were already too late getting here. The three of them rushed over to provide any aide that they could. Kristoff could not have been more surprised to see them there in the Eastern Mountains. "Grand Pabbie?"

"I sensed danger coming from this mountain, but it appears that we may be a little late. What happened?"

"Anna's arm was frozen," Kristoff said, showing him her arm. The ice was quickly climbing up her arm towards her shoulder. It had already overtaken her hand. It was as if her arm was made of solid ice. "Is there something you can do for her?"

"Hmmm," He studied her arm and could sense the magic that was responsible for this. This magic differed from what he was expecting. It was much more potent, mixed with more vile than he had ever felt. "This was done by someone who's been deeply overtaken by a devil's mirror's curse. I can ease her pain, at best, but the vile behind the magic is greater than my abilities to heal."

He gently placed a hand on her forehead. Slowly, her facial expression of agony diminished, as it looked like she was now in a much more peaceful sleep. Seeing the change calmed Kristoff's nerves slightly, but he knew that she was still very much in grave danger.

"I've done what I can for her," Pabbie said as he turned towards Elsa. "And you, Queen Elsa. What happened to your powers?"

The elder troll's gaze was so intense, that she could not get herself to look into his eyes. She was so embarrassed of herself, that she wished she could go back into her self-isolation. "I had no choice but to surrender them to the witch. Now, her daughter has them in addition to what she already has."

"And now, the daughter is an ice witch: the very thing that you were in danger of becoming," he concluded. "Tell me, why did you feel it was necessary to give them up?"

"I was tricked."

"Were you? I think there was more to it than just that. Am I right?"

Again, his gaze was too much; they were piercing through her soul, and bringing up memories she did not want to remember. The memories of the Duke of Weaselton was the most dominating memory to plague her, and all the times that he had called her 'monster'. "I was tired of feeling like a monster. I was tired of always having to hide my feelings and emotions. I was just tired of it all."

"Who told you that you had to hide your emotions?" He challenged.

She didn't understand the question. He knew full well who, because he was the one that encouraged them to teach her this. "My parents have always told me to. Since the incident with Anna, I've always been engrained with the saying, 'Conceal... don't feel... don't let them know.' I've had to learn that and repeat it for all my life."

"Is that REALLY what he said?" Pabbie pressed. He reached out and gently placed his cold, stone hand on her forehead, and then pulled it back as if he was pulling something from her head. That's exactly what he did, as tiny blue sparkles came flowing out of her head and formed a bubble in front of her. In the bubble was a memory that she had almost forgotten. Her father was sitting beside her on her bed, on her first night of being in her own bedroom, separated from Anna.

His warm smile touched her heart, and she fought against the tears that were trying to escape her eyes. It was the most vivid image of her father she had ever seen watching her him sail away on that fateful trip. It was almost as he was still alive. "Now, Elsa, you need to always remember to be the good girl that you have to be. Conceal it... don't feel it... don't let it show."

The image changed to a time when he had just bought her a pair of thin white gloves to help her avoid skin-to-skin contact. He slid the glove gently on her hand. "Remember, conceal it..."

"Don't feel it..." the young Elsa continued the phrase that her father was instilling in her.

"Don't let it show."

The magical bubble disappeared, leaving Elsa very distraught. All this time, she had been misquoting her father, and teaching herself something that her father had never meant for her to learn. Since her parents passed away, that phrase that her father had been trying to instill in her, 'Conceal it... don't feel it... don't let it show' had been changed to, 'Conceal... don't feel... don't let them know'. Perhaps she was unwittingly changed it to comfort herself after her parents died. And then, somehow, it stuck to her brain and she used it to try to avoid feeling anything.

"You see, your parents never meant for you to learn how to hide your feelings; they were trying to teach you to sense that raging storm inside of you and to control it," Pabbie said. "If you could control the curse, then you could laugh and you could cry of broken heart, and your powers would never manifest itself unless you willed it to do so. Everything that lives has feelings and emotions; it's impossible to conceal them. All you managed to do was to bottle them up until they exploded at your coronation."

Elsa listened to him intently. She could feel a new wave of self-confidence fill her soul. Everything he said made perfect sense. She may have learned how to thaw winter, but that didn't mean she had learned to control the curse. There was a difference between controlling her powers and controlling her curse. She had never understood that until now, when it was too late. Or maybe... it wasn't too late.

She stood up and went over to the bed sheet that had been covering the mirror. She picked it up and started ripping a small section from it. "What are you going to do?" Olaf asked.

Elsa took the small sheet and carefully grabbed one of the jagged pieces of the mirror on the ground. She carefully wrapped the sheet completely around it. She remembered that Birgitta cut her hand by a fragment of a shattered devil's mirror. That meant that even in pieces, the power still remained intact. "I'm going to save Arendelle!" She stormed towards the door, with a newfound determination to stop Versa from destroying her people.

She half expected Kristoff to protest her going alone to face her and the witch, but he ended up surprising her. "Be careful, Your Majesty. I'll take good care of Anna."

She smiled towards him. Under most circumstances, she would refuse to leave her sister's side. There was very few people she trusted to take care of her sister in this kind of circumstance. Kristoff was one of those few. "I know you will."


End file.
